On the ballot as Measure A, Santa Clara County voters are being
asked to authorize voters $840 million in bonds to bring the Santa
Clara Valley Medical Center up to seismic safety standards and to
fund medical facilities in downtown San Jose.
On the ballot as Measure A, Santa Clara County voters are being asked to authorize voters $840 million in bonds to bring the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center up to seismic safety standards and to fund medical facilities in downtown San Jose.
Unfortunately, we can’t afford it at this time.
Valley Med is mandated to meet seismic safety standards by 2013 – or 2015 if special requirements are met – and, of course, the state provided no money for the earthquake retrofit when it passed the law, thus the bond measure.
But that puts the voters, faced with billions and billions of spending measures on this ballot, in a pickle. Having a safe county hospital is certainly a worthy cause, but we just can’t afford it at the present time.
Voters should reject Measure A, knowing that when the economy turns around, another opportunity will arise to fund the retrofit. It would be nice, of course, not to have to think or face economic reality and blindly fund the bullet train, school facilities, libraries, medical facilities, etc. etc. … but we simply cannot afford to do that.
Regretfully but firmly, no on Measure A.
