Pictured from left to right are Chief Deputy County Clerk of Mariposa County, Courtney Progner Morrow,
and committee co-chairs Suzette Prue and Beth Tomsick.
October 1, 2021 – Mariposa, CA – The Citizens to Save the Hospital committee has completed its signature-gathering drive and submitted the final petition to Mariposa’s County Clerk on Wednesday, September 28th.
The citizens’ initiative petition proposes adopting a 1% sales tax for a period of 40 years to provide the funds needed by the John C. Fremont Healthcare District to design, construct, and equip a new community hospital that meets all applicable seismic safety and other building standards. The funds can also be used to modify and repurpose existing facilities to better satisfy the emergency medical care and other healthcare needs of Mariposa County residents and visitors for generations to come.
California Election Code required the committee to gather 823 signatures, which is 10 percent of the total votes cast for Governor in Mariposa County in the 2018 General Election. In total, the committee was able to gather signatures from 1,706 registered voters, more than twice the number required.
“The residents of Mariposa County are enthusiastically supporting this initiative, so we had no problem gathering the number of signatures needed,” said committee co-chair Beth Tomsick.
Once the signatures are verified, the petition will be certified and submitted to the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors who can either adopt the ordinance or place a measure on the ballot for the June 2022 Primary Election, when it would require a majority of votes to pass.
“Many people who voted no on Measure N are supporting this initiative because of the changes we made, including adding a sunset and more stringent accountability,” said committee co-chair Suzette Prue. “So, we are optimistic this citizens’ initiative will succeed at saving our hospital.”
More information is available on the web at www.CitizensToSaveTheHosptial.org and on Facebook on the Citizens to Save the Hospital page. Residents can also follow the initiative’s progress on Twitter and Instagram @SaveJCFHospital.
Source: Citizens to Save the Hospital
