With the final vote count certified on Dec. 3, Lookout’s On the Campaign Trail delivered Election 2024 results, reaction and analysis from across Santa Cruz County and beyond.
Measure N 2024
Coverage of 2024 Measure N, a ballot initiative seeking a bond to fund improvements at Watsonville Community Hospital.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Measure N: Watsonville Community Hospital’s $116 million bond passes
Measure N, Watsonville Community Hospital’s $116 million bond, passed on Tuesday, after the release of results from Santa Cruz County. A combined total of 68.2% voters in both Santa Cruz and Monterey counties supported the measure.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The votes are in: Santa Cruz wants growth. But why does it now take so long to count ballots?
Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin weighs in on what the early election results say about Santa Cruz County. For him, one message is clear: “Don’t do anything that stands in the way of constructing more housing in Santa Cruz.” He also looks at why it’s taking so long to get full results.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
‘Crossing our fingers’: Watsonville hospital leaders eye slim lead on bond measure as vote count continues
Watsonville Community Hospital leaders say they’re holding their breath as they wait for the final votes to be counted for Measure N, the $116 million bond measure in Tuesday’s election. The approval rate was 68.15% heading into Friday’s vote update from the Santa Cruz County Clerk.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘Two-thirds and apathy’: Watsonville hospital’s Measure N faces uphill battle at the ballot box
Measure N seeks to implement a new tax and raise $116 million for publicly owned Watsonville Community Hospital; however, the campaign will need to rely on the support of a voter base that struggles to turn out.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Take a look inside Watsonville’s hospital as community weighs support for $116M bond
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District is asking voters to approve Measure N, a $116 million bond to replace Watsonville Community Hospital’s aging infrastructure and to purchase the hospital’s building and land it sits on. Community members told Lookout what they think about its potential impacts.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: On Measure N, a yes to our community and individual health
In about two years, Watsonville Community Hospital has moved from the brink of ruin to point of countywide pride. As Santa Cruz County’s population continues to age faster than the state’s, we need a strong second hospital. This measure makes the hospital, and its parent Pajaro Valley Health Care District, stronger.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Watsonville Community Hospital looks to stabilize finances with plans for $116M bond
Since the Pajaro Valley Health Care District took ownership of Watsonville Community Hospital in September 2022, it has significantly reduced losses. New CEO Stephen Gray says adding new services, upgrading equipment and $116 million from a potential bond will continue pushing the hospital onto a sustainable path.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Board approves putting Watsonville Community Hospital bond measure on ballot
Pajaro Valley Health Care District governing board members unanimously voted to place a $116 million bond measure on the March 5 ballot. A recent survey showed the district could likely receive enough votes to approve the measure.
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Watsonville / Pajaro
Pajaro Valley Health Care District board to vote Wednesday on placing $105M bond measure on March ballot
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District board will vote Wednesday on whether to ask voters to support a $105 million bond measure to help Watsonville Community Hospital buy the hospital buildings and the land they sit on and to help fund health care services. The district currently pays about $4 million a year to lease […]