Backers of a Marin County parcel tax for childcare are holding a free family event at the Civic Center Lagoon in San Rafael on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The YES on Measure P campaign will hold a Family Fun Day at Civic Center Lagoon starting at 11 a.m., according to a listing on the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce website. The event will include lunch, face painting, games and yard signs. RSVPs are being collected through ActBlue under the campaign name "Our Kids Our Future Kickoff."

The kickoff marks the first organized public push for Measure P, which appears on the Nov. 3 ballot countywide. If approved by a simple majority, the measure would levy a special parcel tax of 5 cents per building square foot for 15 years. It would generate an estimated $12.5 million annually, according to the county's official ballot text.

For the average homeowner, that works out to about $100 a year.

Revenue would fund childcare scholarships for low- and middle-income families, boost wages for childcare providers and upgrade early care facilities. An estimated 52% of Marin children age 12 and younger with working parents lack access to licensed childcare, and monthly costs average $2,315 per child, according to county findings cited by the Marin Independent Journal on Sept. 20.

Joanne Webster, CEO of the North Bay Leadership Council, is a vocal supporter of the measure. She told the Marin IJ that the childcare shortage has become a workforce problem, with parents cutting hours, turning down jobs or leaving the labor market entirely when they cannot find care.

The measure needs only a simple majority because it reached the ballot through a citizen petition. All five county supervisors voted in July to place it before voters after the registrar certified enough signatures. A similar 2016 proposal won 63% support but failed under a two-thirds threshold.

Not everyone is on board. The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers opposes Measure P. Board member Lucy Dilworth told the Marin IJ the tax "asks Marin taxpayers to commit to a new tax for 15 years without giving voters enough information to know what they're buying."

The Our Kids Our Future PAC is running the campaign. Major funders listed on the campaign website include the Marin Community Foundation, Children's Funding Accelerator and Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The Marin Democratic Party has also endorsed the measure.

The Oct. 3 kickoff begins at 11 a.m. at Civic Center Lagoon. Details and RSVPs are available through the campaign's ActBlue page.