
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Among the many important races on the San Diego County Primary ballot this year are two key measures that affect San Diego County residents.
What to know ahead of the Primary Election: Your voter guide for San Diego County
Measure A, if approved by voters, would establish an annual tax on second homes that are left empty for more than half the year in hopes of generating millions of dollars for the city amid its looming financial deficit.
Perhaps a lesser-known measure that will be included on the June ballot for some San Diegans is Measure H, which aims to establish an agreement between Sharp HealthCare and Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside.
The measure will only appear on the ballots of those who live in the Tri-City Medical Center area, which includes Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista.
This is the first time voters will get to decide if the community hospital, which opened in 1961, will be able to partner with a large healthcare system like Sharp — a partnership that could be essential to its continued operation after years of financial struggles.
In 2023, the medical center closed its labor and delivery unit after 50 years of operation, citing financial reasons. Shortly after, it was granted a $33 million zero-interest loan from the state as part of a Distressed Hospital Loan Program.
UC San Diego Health was in negotiations for several months in 2024 for a potential partnership with Tri-City Medical Center, but it fell apart when no agreement could be reached.
The seven-member board, which runs the medical district, voted unanimously last December to pursue the partnership with Sharp HealthCare, a move that could help revitalize the district.
If San Diegans vote ‘yes’ on Measure H on the June ballot, then Tri-City Medical Center would transfer all of its assets and obligations to Sharp HealthCare, which would also enable Sharp to invest more than $100 million into the medical center. Sharp would also provide health care services at the hospital.
The measure would not establish a tax for San Diegans and would need a simple majority to pass.
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