Measure K: Measure K - Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District
Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District · Humboldt County · November 3, 2026
The question on your ballot
To replace 77 year-old Jerold Phelps Community Hospital with a modern hospital to provide life-saving emergency care for victims of accidents, heart attacks, strokes, and other emergencies, improve Emergency Room facilities, operating rooms, provide advanced medical equipment/technology and life flight services; and qualify for matching funds shall Southern Humboldt Healthcare District's measure authorizing $25,000,000 in bonds be adopted, levying 8 cents per $100 assessed value (raising $2,000,000 annually) while bonds are outstanding, with independent citizen oversight and all funds staying local?
Impartial analysis
HUMBOLDT COUNTY COUNSEL SOUTHERN HUMBOLDT COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE DISTRICT GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND MEASURE Measure K is a bond measure placed on the ballot by the Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District. The District seeks voter approval to issue general obligation bonds to fund capital improvements to hospital facilities, examples of which are included in the measure. These include a new hospital facility, an upgraded emergency room, flight and heliport facilities to accommodate expedited life flight air transportation, meeting upcoming seismic requirements, and complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The measure would authorize the district to sell bonds in the amount of $25 million and levy a property tax to fund the repayment of the bonds. The district estimates that the average annual tax necessary to fund the repayment would be $80 per $100,000 of assessed property value, and that the total cost of debt service, including principal and interest, would be approximately $50.4 million. The measure requires a two-thirds vote to pass. Generally, an ad valorum tax on real property may not exceed one percent of the full cash value of the property, pursuant to the California Constitution. (An ad valorem tax is a tax on real property as a percentage of the cash value of the property.) However, there is an exception that allows a greater ad valorem tax if it is used to pay the bonded indebtedness for the acquisition and improvement of real property, which has been approved by a two-thirds vote. One of the intended uses of the funds by the district is the acquisition of medical equipment. This likely does not fall within the constitutional exemption for the acquisition and improvement of real property. Pursuant to Government Code Section 53410, a bond measure submitted to the voters must have a statement indicating the specific purpose of the bonds and a requirement that the bond funds will be used only for these specific purposes, the creation of an account into which the bond proceeds will be deposited, and an annual report containing the amount of the funds collected and expended and the status of any project authorized to be funded. Measure K complies with these requirements.
Official ballot arguments
Filed for the official voter guide by each side, printed as submitted.
The official arguments will appear here once both sides’ arguments are on file.
What supporters and opponents say — outside sources (not official ballot arguments)
Statements by campaigns, officials and news coverage, quoted with attribution and linked to the original. VoterDecoder did not write them and does not endorse either side.
Supporters say
No public statements in favor were found.
Opponents say
No public statements against were found.