Study Needed

Two of the Board of Supervisors having closed meetings with a private interest group about the taxpayers’ business? Yes, fellow taxpayers, this really happened on Thursday, March 31, 1994, just 14 hours before this sort of meeting was declared illegal by California state law. The meeting was held in private offices off Mills Road. It lasted about 90 non-smoke-filled minutes, according to Supervisors (Maggie) Kildee and (Susan K.) Lacey. (They) don’t want a consultant to split up the patients in the hospital dispute. Sure took a long time to say no.

More than $100 million worth of bond indebtedness is being heaped upon our taxpaying backs for a hospital expansion. That we were not given a chance to vote for this collective debt, when half the hospital beds in the county are empty, is appalling. We may be forced to build a huge, brand-new hospital that may well be less than half full unless the county supervisors can find a large number of charity patients somewhere to fill the beds.

Guess what, folks, they have not even done a countywide study on our new in-debt hospital and its effects. On April 26 at 1:30 p.m. at the County Government Center, there will be a public hearing on this matter. Let your taxpaying voice be heard.

We must have a blue-ribbon panel study on hospital expansion. Will the supervisors have a study by impartial reputable citizens from all sides? All citizens in this county deserve no less.

RICHARD CLEMENCE

Executive director

Ventura County Alliance

of Taxpayers,

Ventura