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Library, hospital, charter reform, on local ballots
By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun
On June 6, local voters will weigh in on various ballot measures that will effect Alpine, the Back Country and the entire county.
Proposition 81 could breath new life into endeavors to bring a new library facility to Alpine by providing funding for California library projects. Prop G is a bond measure that would help to complete Grossmont Hospital renovations and increase bed space.
Props A and B, call for some updating of county charter language. Prop A would clean up the county charter by deleting outdated items and making it consistent with state law. Prop B would outlaw write-in candidacies in runoff elections for county elective offices.
Proposition 81
Across California, there are 579 library construction and renovation projects — at a cost of $4.5 billion — waiting to be completed, according to the California State Library estimates. Proposition 81, a $600 million bond on the June ballot, would take a bite out of that backlog.
In 2000, voters approved Prop 14, a $350 million bond to build library facilities in communities that could pay 35 percent of the project from their own funds. While the state was able to cover 45 projects with that bond, it had to turn down 60 more, because it didn't have another $506 million to pay for them. Prop. 81 basically replenishes money in this existing state library construction and renovation program.
Proposition 81, the Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2006, would authorize the state to sell $600 million worth of bonds to support library construction. Again, communities would be asked to pay for 35 percent of the project, and $300 million would be set aside for proposals that were submitted, but not funded, under the previous bond. The Alpine library project is one of these.
“With this measure we would get a two-thirds matching and one-third local contribution to build a library. We already have the plans, the site has been selected, (and) the only thing we need to do is get proposition 81 passed.” said ALFA member Christine Connell. “I was going to say we hope, but we are going to build this library.”
There is no active campaign against Prop. 81. Signers of the ballot argument against the measure say it increases state debt. Critics say that, if lawmakers and the governor feel libraries are a priority, they should use existing revenue to pay for them.
“As we said, they [Proposition 81 proponents] claim that they don’t have enough money, and only this money would save libraries in this state,” reads the argument against the proposition. “What happened to the $300 million loan we gave them in 2000, just six short years ago? How did they spend that money?”
“Voting against this bond is not a vote against libraries. It is a vote against free spending politicians who spend their money on candy, and buy meat and bread with the credit card,” states the con-argument.
Under the state's program, local governments must pay for 35 percent of the project, which means the bond will generate more than $900 million in library improvements counting the local contribution. According to proponents, “the annual interest and principal payment will be less than $2 per California resident,” if the bond measure is passed by a simple majority on June 6.
Proposition G
Proposition G is a bond measure that would allot $247 million to the Sharp Grossmont Hospital for renovations and expansion.
The 481-bed hospital hasn't sought bond money since 1951, when voters overwhelmingly approved two bonds for construction of the facility, which opened in 1955. The hospital was built to serve a population of about 70,000; today, more than 500,000 people live in the 750-mile area.
Grossmont has the busiest emergency room in the county, seeing about 220 patients a day. Due to a bed shortage, about one-third of the 63 beds in the emergency room are used for longer-term patients who are waiting for a hospital bed.
Bond money would be used to build out some of the capital projects at the hospital, such as, adding beds, completing the critical care center, and upgrading utilities, including the its in-house power plant. Money will also be used to comply with state seismic requirements that must be complied with by 2013. If the expansion of the facility is not completed, hospital officials will have to close beds in order to make the current structure earthquake-safe.
“If we don’t do this, we will have to close more than 100 beds,” said Barry Jantz, chief executive officer of the Grossmont Healthcare District. “We’ll have a smaller hospital for a larger East County community.”
With no official opposition to the $247 million bond, the biggest challenge for backers of the measure is overcoming the reluctance of voters who don't want to raise their taxes. The bond measure must be supported by two-thirds of voters for approval.
“If they understand what it is we're doing and how it's going to increase the capacity for good health care right here in East County, then they will support it,” Jantz said.
More than 150,000 property lots would have the additional tax if the bond is approved. The bond would add $19.89 per $100,000 of assessed value to a property owner's tax bill for the next 30 years.
For homes valued at $200,000, this could mean an additional $40 in taxes each year.
If the measure passes, a nine-member independent oversight committee would monitor the expenditures. Committee members would include people with experience in public finance, construction and project management.
Propositions A and B
Two county-wide propositions, Props A and B, are also facing voters this election. Both are housekeeping measures that would adjust the current county charter.
Prop A is a series of proposed “clean-up” amendments to the San Diego County charter.
The charter is like the constitution for county government, dictating its structure and establishing rules for its operation.
The last comprehensive cleanup of the charter took place in 1986. In late 2004, county supervisors asked the county counsel's office to do another review, and the final proposal made it to the board this year and was approved unanimously. To become official, changes to the charter must be approved by count y voters.
Prop B is a proposal that was driven by the recent mayoral election, and would outlaw write-in candidacies in runoff elections for county elective offices. The rule would apply to races for county supervisor, sheriff, district attorney, treasurer-tax collector, assessor/recorder/county clerk and the county board of education.
The action was spurred by the 2004 election in San Diego. City Councilwoman Donna Frye jumped into the mayor's race five weeks before the November election, upsetting the apple carts of Mayor Dick Murphy and Supervisor Ron Roberts, who had won the primary and were headed for a two-man runoff.
Both propositions are endorsed by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, a nonprofit watchdog group. No arguments against either proposition were filed with the Registrar of Voters.
Both propositions require approval by more than 50 percent of voters to pass.
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Christy Scott
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