By Robert Ramirez, Truvi Realty
However you plan to vote, there's a school bond on the November 3, 2026 ballot that's worth understanding if you own a home in Los Banos, or you're weighing whether to buy one. Measure C is a Los Banos Unified School District facilities bond, and it touches two things buyers and homeowners care about directly: school capacity and property taxes. Here's what it actually does, what the district says it's for, and the pushback it's gotten — no endorsement either way, just the facts as reported so you can form your own view before you vote or make an offer.
Measure C asks voters to authorize $99 million in bonds under Proposition 39, which requires 55% approval to pass. The district's stated uses include repairing aging roofs, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems in schools that are now more than 40 years old, upgrading science and career-technical facilities, and constructing additional classrooms or school facilities. After board discussion this past July, trustees pushed for clearer language explicitly listing construction of a new elementary school to relieve overcrowding as an authorized use, since some of the district's elementary campuses — Grasslands among them — were built for 700 to 800 students and are now serving closer to 1,000.
The district's financial advisers have presented a proposed tax rate of about $32 per $100,000 of assessed value, which they estimate works out to roughly $98 a year, or about $8 a month, for a typical homeowner in the district. That's on top of what property owners already pay toward LBUSD's existing bond debt — the district reports over $94 million in bonds outstanding from prior measures. Assessed value is the taxable value on your county assessment, not necessarily your home's current market price, so your actual number could differ from the “typical” estimate.
Supporters, including district trustees, point to district-wide growth of roughly 300 additional students a year and say aging facilities and overcrowded elementary schools need the investment now. Opponents, including the Merced County Republican Party, have publicly urged a “No” vote, arguing that the $99 million bond would cost an estimated $177 million to repay with interest, that the district's existing debt already carries a similarly steep repayment cost, and that enrollment has actually declined over the past two years — directly disputing the district's growth and overcrowding rationale. I haven't independently verified either side's enrollment figures, and this is a case where the two camps are telling different stories from the same district — worth digging into directly on the district's site or in county voter guide materials before you decide.
Bottom line: this is a live, contested local election, not a settled fact. I'm laying out what each side is saying, not telling you how to vote.
Bond debt shows up in the tax rate area of your county property tax bill, and multiple overlapping bonds can add up to a meaningful line item over time — something to factor in alongside your mortgage payment when you're budgeting for a home here. On the school side, capacity questions matter most if you're relocating with kids: an overcrowded elementary campus can mean larger class sizes or a shift in attendance boundaries down the road, regardless of how this particular measure turns out. If you're comparing neighborhoods — including some of the newer construction communities I've covered in past posts — it's reasonable to ask the district directly which elementary school a specific address currently feeds into, since growth in areas like Harvest Hills, Sierra Heights, and Stonecreek is part of what's driving this conversation in the first place.
Information above on Measure C reflects publicly reported figures as of late September 2026 from Los Banos Unified School District materials and local reporting; figures are estimates and enrollment claims are disputed between supporters and opponents. This post does not endorse a position on Measure C — confirm details with LBUSD or your county voter guide before Election Day, November 3, 2026.