Voters created the Palm Drive District and approved the parcel tax to support a Community Hospital with an Emergency Room. Now, both are gone, but we still have $millions of debt to pay for the next 14 years.
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LAFCO VOTES AUGUST 2020
UPDATE! LAFCO and the County
STILL Need to Hear Your Voice!
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The Board voted to donate up to $200,000 before dissolving to a new nonprofit that is being established to support the local Health Action chapter and more. Like everything but the kitchen sink. Read the draft proposals HERE.
The one they submitted to the Board just omitted the detail. Not a single question was asked.
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This is a concern for many reasons. Among them:
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1. Use of Measure W funds for general health-related grants was never approved by voters.
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2. District residents will pay taxes for 14 more years on District debt accumulated over 18 years when the public could not convince the Board that it could not sustain Palm Drive Hospital. There is no extra money.
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3. Once the District is dissolved, there is no accountability for those public funds. Let's face it. They aren't accountable now.
4. A special Board meeting can be announced at any time with only one day's notice.
Please continue to watch for meetings until August to tell the Board NO on more spending. Tell them to spend all available money to pay off debt, not for new programs!
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Here are the email addresses of the board:
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Dennis Colthurst -- stsav8r@yahoo.com
Gail Thomas -- poohcornerfarm@comcast.net
Eira Klich-Heartt -- eheartt@icloud.com
Randy Coffman -- randy.coffman@winecountrygroup.com
Richard Power -- richardpower44@gmail.com
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We suggest you also copy the following people:
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Lynda Hopkins--lynda.hopkins@sonoma-county.org
Mark Bramfitt--Mark.Bramfitt@sonoma-county.org
Erick Roeser--Erick.Roeser@sonoma-county.org
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FROM THE
NEWS
June 19, 2020
Sonoma West Times and News
May 19, 2020
Palm Drive will dissolve, but it ain’t over yet ...
Sonoma West Times and News
May 12, 2020
Palm Drive board approves resolution to dissolve by July 1
Sonoma West Times and News
March 4, 2020
Sonoma West Times and News
February 2, 2020
Close to Home: Time for west county health district to disband
The Press Democrat
January 30, 2020
Sonoma West Times and News
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January 22, 2020
Time to dissolve the Palm Drive Health Care District
Sonoma West Times and News
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January 22, 2020
Palm Drive blocks release of Measure W legal opinion
Sonoma West Times and News
January 22, 2020
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January 9, 2020
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January 7, 2020
Petition afoot to dissolve Palm Drive Health Care District
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January 5, 2020
Letter to the Editor
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
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December 24, 2019
Letter to the Editor
Organizations other than the health care district deserve our support
Sonoma West Times and News
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December 19, 2019
What's next for the Palm Drive Health Care District?
Sonoma West Times and News
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December 5, 2019
Health District Sells Hospital
Sonoma West Times and News
Why not give $200,000 for public health?
NO VOTER-APPROVED PURPOSE
NO ACCOUNTABILITY
Power blew out all the stops in explaining his no vote.
“I have read the Hanson-Bridgett report,” he said, referring to a report the district ordered on the legality of giving grants for public health purposes, “and I think it tells us that we cannot fund this proposal,” Power said.
In addition, he said another board member (he didn’t say who) had told him they “‘didn’t give a damn what the report said because the money should be spent this way.’”
“That was a pretty shocking statement, but it tells me that in some ways, I’ve been playing against a stacked deck. And so I'm going to vote against this for these reasons,” he said.
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No Hospital
The District sold the hospital to a private, for-profit corporation in December 2019. Our community hospital is gone. -
No Emergency Room
The emergency room has been closed for more than a year, and there are no plans to reopen it. -
No New Expenditures
The District is still $20+ million in debt. All Measure W funds should be applied to the debt and 2014 bankruptcy.
Draft
Proposal to Board as of Tuesday
UPCOMING
BOARD MEETING
Regular Board Meeting