Editorials Address Ballot Measure To Fund Children’s Hospitals
Two newspapers recently published editorials addressing Proposition 61, a bond measure on the statewide Nov. 2 ballot that would provide $750 million for construction, expansion and equipment for children's hospitals. Including interest, the program would cost about $1.5 billion over 30 years (California Healthline, 9/13). Summaries appear below.
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Long Beach Press-Telegram: California residents should "look skeptically at further debt" but "not when it comes to Proposition 61," a Press-Telegram editorial states. The editorial recommends that voters approve the measure, adding that the state will repay the measure from general revenue "at the rate of something like $1.50 per year per Californian." The editorial concludes, "We can afford it. We should approve it" (Long Beach Press-Telegram, 9/16).
- Sacramento Bee: Although "it might seem heartless" to oppose the measure, a Bee editorial recommends that state residents vote against it. "The biggest demand on [the state general] fund is to teach children in the state's education system," the editorial states, adding that "it's a serious question whether hospitals should get into the habit of asking the ... fund to underwrite their technology and construction desires." The editorial concludes, "Until this state stops saddling future generations with mountains of debt, voters need to be selective come election time. One way to do that is vote no on Proposition 61" (Sacramento Bee, 9/17).