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Local measures support BART, county medical services

by Staff Reports

Late last month, the California Transportation Commission unanimously agreed to provide $240 million to extend BART to San Jose and Santa Clara, securing all necessary state funding — a total of $760 million — for the $6.1 billion, 16-mile project. The vote added one more "puzzle piece" of funding for the project, advocates said.

A bigger piece could materialize this Nov. 4, when county voters must decide whether to approve Measure B, a 1/8-cent sales tax increase that would be used to pay for the operation and maintenance of the BART extension. The measure requires two-thirds voter approval.

If passed, the tax increase would only go into effect if all state and federal financing is secured to construct the project. The measure's backers — primarily the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority — were very careful in crafting a specific sales tax with plenty of stipulations after a half-cent tax failed to garner 50 percent of the vote two years ago.

Opponents say the measure will drain money from other much-needed transit services, and they point out that some county residents will receive little direct benefit from the BART extension, even though they're paying for it. Groups opposing Measure B include the Sierra Club, the Silicon Valley Taxpayers' Association and VTA Riders' Union.

Supporters, which include a majority of county and state elected officials and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, say the extension is essential for closing a gap in the Bay Area's transit services. They say it would ease traffic regionally, and do not believe that other VTA services would be affected.

The other local measure with the biggest financial wallop is Measure A, which would provide $840 million for a seismic retrofit of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, bringing it up to code with new state regulations.

According to county officials, who put the measure on the ballot, the hospital must meet earthquake-safe regulations by 2013 or have its trauma and burn centers closed, along with a third of its beds. The county estimates that the cuts would mean facilities would not be able to serve 10,500 people each year.

SCVMC is a public hospital owned by the county, and is the only regional facility with a burn center.

If two-thirds of county voters approve Measure A, the county would issue and sell bonds to fund the renovations and to replace San Jose Medical Center, which was closed in 2004, with new facilities in downtown San Jose.

The measure also would require creation of a Citizens' Oversight Committee to oversee annual reports and expenditures, and funds from the measure could not go toward administrators' salaries.

No official arguments were filed against Measure A.