Residents Debate Tax Boost to Save Hospital
Residents are debating a ballot measure that would raise the sales tax by half a cent to support a county-operated hospital.
Opponents and supporters of Measure Q clashed Tuesday night at a two-hour forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas.
Doctors from Natividad Medical Center said the hospital will be forced to close if voters reject the tax initiative.
The half-cent sales tax would generate as much as $25 million annually for the hospital.
More than two-thirds of voters casting ballots must approve the measure during a mail-ballot election that ends Dec. 2.
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