The Fremont, California City Council placed a measure on a June 1989 ballot that asked residents whether a tax should be levied to pay for child care services. The measure was devised in response to the conclusion of a task force that had been appointed by the council to study child care. The task force concluded that there was an extreme shortage of affordable child care and the shortage would continue because of the large number of people expected to move into the city in the next decade. In an attempt to avoid placing the financial burden of child care exclusively on real estate developers, the council worked with city staff to design a plan to levy a $12 a year property tax on all residential dwelling units; to add a 20 percent surcharge to business taxes; and to impose a new developer fee. Proponents of the measure campaigned on the issues of safety, city prestige, and the low cost of the proposal. Opponents argued that the measure was too costly, poorly conceived, and inadequate. This paper reports on interviews with local policymakers and results of an exit poll conducted on election day. The paper concludes by identifying reasons why the measure lost by a four to one margin. (RH)