With the increased publicity on Kaweah Delta’s Bond Measure H and Tulare Hospital’s Bond Measure I, more interest than usual is being generated around each hospitals’ governing boards. Kaweah Delta will have three seats up for election and Tulare Local Health Care District (TLHCD) will have two. For those interested in running for either board the filing period is July 18th to August 12th.
District 2 and District 4 for the TLHCD Board will be up for re-election. Sherri Bell, President of the Tulare Regional Medical Center Board of Directors, represents District 4 and Laura Gadke represents District 2.
District two, Gadke’s seat, is in the heart of Tulare. Gadke hasn’t decided whether or not she will run for reelection as she is focused on getting Measure I passed. Measure I is Tulare Hospital’s bond measure to pay for finishing the tower. Gadke said that years ago there was dissention among the board members but that during the last four years “the board has worked unanimously and put their heads together to face down their economic crisis. It has been a pleasure working with them.”
TLHCD’s District four, Bell’s seat, surrounds Tulare on the south, west and north sides of town. Bell has not indicated whether she will be running again.
To find out if you live in either of these districts go to the Tulare County Registrar of Voters web page. Go to the bottom of the page and click on “your districts.” Put in your city and street address and a directory of all the districts in which you live will pop up to the right.
To be eligible to serve in any of the districts you only have to have lived in the district 30 days before the November election.
For the Kaweah Delta Health Care District three districts up for re-election are, Districts one, three, and five. Herbert Hawkins is the representative for district one, John Hipskind, District 3, and Teresa Ramos, District 5. All three plan on running again.
District one comprises North Visalia and part of the East. District Three is the southwestern corner of Visalia and District five is an irregularly shaped sliver that passes through the middle of Visalia. If you want to know if you live in a district that is up for re election visit the registrar of voters’ website.
Tulare Local Health Care District is mailing out ballots in August for Measure I. The measure is a $55 million dollar bond to fund finishing the tower. Ballots can be mailed back to the Tulare County Registrars of Voters between August 1st and August 30th. Residents who live in the hospital district can also vote in person at the registrar’s office located in the Government Plaza across from Mooney Grove Park. The measure needs two thirds votes to pass.
Kaweah Delta just finished their mail-in ballot process for Measure H in May that ended up failing. The final vote was 43% in favor and 57% against.
The TLHCD Board, and the Kaweah Delta Health Care District Board, meet once a month and serve a four year term. Among many other duties, the boards ensure that the hospital districts are in compliance with the states health care laws and approve capital expenditures for the benfit of the district and all of the facilities owned by the district. The board is responsible for the quality of care and services provided in each hospital district. According to the Kaweah Delta website the board, “also establishes policy, promotes performance improvement, and provides for organizational management and planning.”
The general elections will be November 7th.
Come on Tulare vote some new people to our board that will do the right thing for us. Vote no on the bond. We will be paying forever on the one that they blew the money from the first one on and now they want a new one.