Health Center Initiative Moves Forward With Signatures
by Kendall Wright | Patterson Irrigator
Oct 20, 2009
Initiative discussion
• Keith Schneider, executive vice president of the Keystone Pacific Business Park, and health center initiative proponent Kathy Wright will give an informational presentation on the initiative process at next week’s meeting of the Del Puerto Health Care District’s board of directors.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the conference room of the district office, 875 E. St.
Proponents of the initiative to move the Del Puerto Health Center to the Keystone Pacific Business Park turned in petitions with 2,070 signatures Friday, Oct. 16 — nearly three times the roughly 700 required — officially putting the ball back in the city’s court to make the next decision.
The signatures were submitted in 66 booklets to the city around 11 a.m. and then sent to the county elections office Monday, said City Clerk Maricela Vela. The county registrar of voters has 30 days to verify the signatures, and the Patterson City Council will then have another 30 days to consider approving the initiative as an ordinance or calling a special election that could cost up to $40,000.
“We’ve really had an outpouring of community support, and we’re hoping these numbers will influence the council’s decision,” said Margo Arnold, CEO of the Del Puerto Health Care District. “The council is supposed to serve the community’s interests, and if the voters want health care expansion this much, I would hope they’d listen.”
The council’s decision will follow a wave of controversy unleashed by major players on both sides of the issue, who have publicly disagreed over the true goals of the health center initiative.
The disagreement came to head when City Attorney George Logan released his title and summary of the initiative in early October. The title — crafted by proponents as the “City of Patterson Healthcare Expansion Act” — was changed to the “The Keystone Development Amendment Act,” a sign to some of Logan’s belief that the initiative intends to benefit Keystone rather than simply facilitating the health center’s move.
The initiative’s supporters fervently disagreed with Logan’s summary and insisted the petition’s only goal was to move the center to a location where it could serve more residents and bring more specialists to the area.
While some on the council have publicly aligned themselves for or against the health center’s move, Councilman Dominic Farinha said it’s too early to predict what will happen.
“Until we receive all the documents, verify the signatures and have a chance to review them, I can’t really say how the council is likely to vote,” Farinha said. “I can say that myself, as well as the rest of the council, will do our best to be informed when we do make our decision.”
And while the council may be split in their opinions of the initiative, Arnold insists that the proponents will do their best to sort out any confusion to help avoid a special election.
“We really just want to keep this process moving,” she said. “As soon as we can, we will meet with the council to clarify anything they are unsure of so they can make a fair decision for the community.”
