Today, we honor the selfless service and sacrifice of our veterans and active-duty military. Millions of men and women have courageously answered the call to serve our nation by protecting our country and preserving our freedoms — such as the ability to express our ideals in the democratic process. We are humbled by your service and eternally grateful for your contributions.
As we head into the weekend and results from the 2022 midterm elections continue to be tabulated, HASC and CHA are closely monitoring critical campaigns that impact hospitals in two Southern California cities.
In the cities of Inglewood and Duarte, where voters are deciding the fate of ballot initiatives to institute a $25 per hour minimum wage for some health care workers, thousands of ballots still must be counted before the measures can be called. The initiatives also include hospital operational restrictions in areas such as the ability to lay off employees. HASC and CHA aggressively fought these measures — Measure HC and Measure J — as they would unfairly apply only to some workers and not others doing the exact same job. Here are the vote counts as of this afternoon:
- In Duarte, voters are currently rejecting Measure J — 36.53% YES (1,412 raw votes) to 63.47% NO (2,453 raw votes).
- In Inglewood, voters are currently passing Measure HC — 53.46% YES (6,987 raw votes) to 46.54% NO (6,083 raw votes).
HASC, along with CHA, is examining these two campaigns and how their outcomes will impact the potential for statewide minimum wage legislation this year and a statewide ballot initiative in 2024. We will face at least four local $25 minimum wage referendums in November 2024. HASC is dedicated to improving the operating environment for our member hospitals and the health status of our communities. We will continue to fight to assure the hospital’s voice is heard.
Take care and stay safe.
George G.