San Francisco voters are considering over a dozen city ballot measures in the upcoming election, including Proposition B, a bond measure meant primarily to raise money for some of the city’s rundown hospitals.
While city officials say a yes vote would improve health care for all residents, opponents describe the proposal as giving “blank checks” to City Hall.
One of the health facilities that would benefit is an aging center in the heart of Chinatown that hasn’t been renovated in nearly 60 years.
When Dr. Stephanie Le walks the hallways of the Chinatown Public Health Center, she thinks of her family.
“I used to accompany my grandmother to her doctor’s appointments,” said Le.
The facility is one of 13 primary care health centers run by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
The network of clinics, hospitals, and programs offer low cost health care to residents. No insurance or green card needed.
“I specifically came to work at this clinic because I saw my family in the patient population,” said Le.
The center has served mostly low-income residents since 1929. Signs of aging infrastructure abound.
Sitting atop the Broadway Tunnel, the building is slated for a seismic retrofit to prevent collapse, and major renovations to upgrade its ventilation system and 60-year-old windows that can’t be opened.
“We’ve actually had to close the clinic down a couple of times in the last six months because of the heat, when temperatures were hitting like 89 degrees,” said Le.
They’ve used zip ties to keep air conditioner ducts in place, to try and lower the temperature. Staff move fans and air purifiers daily.
The center serves more than 6,000 residents.
George Lim worked low wage restaurant jobs in the 1980s. With no insurance, he would limit visits even though it was considered low-cost care.
“When I’m sick and know I’m sick, I don’t even go to the doctor. Just stay home and wait until I recover by myself,” said Lim.
If passed, the $390 million general obligation bond would also be used to repair and renovate other city hospitals, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General and Laguna Honda.
“There just isn’t an option to not make investments now in these really critical infrastructure projects,” said Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital CEO Dr. Susan Ehrlich.
Not only that, More than $125 million would be earmarked to modernize downtown public spaces, street and sidewalk safety projects, and parks.
Critics of Prop B call this more frivolous spending by the city.Â
One of the main opponents, the San Francisco Apartment Association, has been critical of the city’s bond spending over the past decade. They say this is more of the same.Â
The association declined an on-camera interview but released a statement to CBS News Bay Area, saying in part, “San Franciscans are tired of writing blank checks to City Hall’s favored pet projects without seeing actual progress or accountability from the City on our most pressing issues.”Â
The association says if Prop B fails, that could lower property taxes across the city, which ultimately could benefit renters and landlords.
The San Francisco Briones Society also wrote the official argument against.
They say, “Proposition B reflects the same approach that has failed us time and again: throw money at a problem, with hardly any real oversight, and cross our fingers that the special interests who scoop it up will save the day.”
Meanwhile, some of the city’s political rivals have put their differences aside to support Prop. B. Last month, Mayor London Breed along with challengers Aaron Peskin and Asha Safai all showed up to the same rally in Chinatown backing the measure.
Besides problematic high temperatures inside, Le and her staff shift patients to rooms mid-visit if Wi-Fi connecting equipment and computers becomes spotty. A renovation would address those issues and more.
“It just takes a load off of the management team and also the staff’s concerns to have to think about. They can just focus on patient care,” said Le.
Longtime patients are hopeful and grateful for the clinic.
“This really helps low income people and as families, we do need this space,” said Lim.
“The sense of trust that our patients provide us is really like an honor and something that I really value,” said Le.
Le could have chosen to work in a modernized private hospital with state of the art technology. She wants to stay where she is to serve the underserved.
Currently, this measure requires two-thirds of affirmative votes to pass. However, the threshold will be lowered and only require 55% to pass, if voters also approve Proposition 5 related to public bonds.
The bond measure would not raise property taxes.Â