\u201cDue to the federal Medi-Cal cuts, our county-run hospitals and clinics are at risk of closure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the leadership of the Board of Supervisors, we are fighting to preserve and protect our critical services.\u201d<\/p>\n
These boldface words from Santa Clara County executive James R. Williams greeted Rishi Kumar, chair of the No on Measure A campaign, when he checked his mail at home in Saratoga last week.<\/p>\n
From his perspective, this five-paragraph letter addressed to \u201cNeighbors,\u201d accompanied by \u201cCOMMUNITY UPDATE\u201d marketing material in bright yellow and blue colors (\u201cEvery 11 minutes, someone in our county is taken by ambulance to a County-run hospital.\u201d \u201cOur local hospitals and clinics may be forced to close because of the federal budget cuts.\u201d) was an inappropriate tactic meant to influence a referendum on a proposed health care-focused tax hike.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the county is doing is wrong,\u201d said Kumar, a former Saratoga City Council member who is currently also running for County Assessor, adding he feels the regional government\u2014without explicitly mentioning Measure A\u2014is trying to influence the Nov. 4 Special Election. \u201cThey are telling them, without telling them.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Kumar, this is another example of the county surreptitiously misspending money to sway people\u2019s opinions.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust to pass Measure A, the county is misusing taxpayer dollars to push their own messaging out,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are crossing the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Measure A campaign declined to comment for this story.<\/p>\n
The County operates four of the county\u2019s 12 hospitals\u2014Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, O\u2019Connor Hospital, Regional Medical Center and St. Louise Regional Hospital\u2014representing more than 38 percent of its licensed beds, according to California Department of Health Care Access and Information.<\/p>\n
When questioned about the print alert relating to federal funding that looks suspiciously like air support for one side of a ballot measure\u2014after voting has already commenced\u2014Williams stood behind the maneuver.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe county has an obligation to ensure that every resident in our community understands the severe magnitude of budget cuts imposed on us by the actions of this federal administration,\u201d Williams said via email. \u201cThis mailer\u2014which was sent to voters and non-voters alike\u2014is one part of a broader effort to ensure everyone recognizes this fiscal crisis and the impacts our community faces. The county has a clear legal right to provide factual information to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
The county said\u00a0the mailer went out to approximately 700,000 households. Printing and postage cost about $266,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s highly cost-effective because it\u2019s not targeted; it just gets delivered to every residence on a mail route through a special service through USPS called the \u2018Every Door Direct Mail\u2019 program,\u201d a spokesperson said. \u201cThis is part of a broader education effort that includes informational town halls, public presentations, materials such as multilingual fact sheets and flyers, in-person outreach at community events, and a dedicated webpage on the County\u2019s website that will continue to be updated on an ongoing basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Kumar says he thinks the county is \u201cpulling a fast one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the Board of Supervisors to be questioned on this,\u201d Kumar said. \u201cThere has to be accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kumar says he can\u2019t file a complaint against the Measure A team, since\u2014at least as far as he can tell\u2014the campaign wasn\u2019t behind the mailer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no rules in place,\u201d Kumar said. \u201cThat\u2019s like a flawed model.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kumar, a former Saratoga City Council member and former candidate for Congress, is one of four candidates seeking to be the next Santa Clara County assessor. The other candidates are East Side Union High School District Trustee Bryan Do, Los Altos Vice Mayor Neysa Fligor and Saratoga Councilmember Yan Zhao.<\/p>\n
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