Los Angeles Health Care Leaders, Local Businesses and Community Health Centers Urge ‘Yes’ Vote on Proposition 35

For Immediate Release
July 25, 2024

Prop 35 will help address Los Angeles’ most urgent health care priorities

Los Angeles, CA – As Los Angeles faces a deepening health care crisis, local physicians, business leaders, hospitals, community health centers, emergency responders and hundreds of other organizations are calling on voters to support Proposition 35 on the November ballot. The initiative will address our region’s most urgent health care problems by significantly expanding access to quality care.

“As a family physician, I have dedicated my career to ensuring my patients have access to essential health care regardless of their type of coverage,” said Hector Flores, MD, a member of the Los Angeles County Medical Association. “But the reality is that many Angelenos face serious hurdles in getting the care they deserve. Proposition 35 will expand patient access to primary care doctors and to the specialty care that they need. I’m proud to stand in support of Prop 35 and urge voters to say YES this fall.”

The measure secures ongoing revenue by extending an existing levy on health insurance companies set to expire in 2026 – without raising taxes – and dedicates these funds to protect and expand access to care at community health clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms and with primary care, family planning, mental health providers, OB/GYNs and specialty care providers like cancer and cardiology.

“Community health centers are the backbone of Los Angeles County’s safety net health care system, serving a third of residents with Medi-Cal,” said Louise McCarthy, President and CEO of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County.“Prop 35 will protect and expand access to primary and specialty health care for the nearly 2 million children, seniors, people with low incomes, unhoused residents and people with disabilities who rely on health centers for care.”

“AltaMed is one of Californian’s largest Medi-Cal providers, serving 1 in 5 Medi-Cal patients in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and we’re proud of our decades-long commitment to reducing health care disparities,” said Cástulo de la Rocha, President and CEO of AltaMed Health Services. “We support Prop 35 because it is essential for ensuring our patients have ongoing access to care and the specialists they need for advanced treatments. Prop 35 will stabilize the county’s health care system and secure the dedicated funding necessary to treat the more than 500,000 patients who depend on AltaMed.”

More than 15 million vulnerable Californians rely on Medi-Cal for health insurance coverage, including more than 50% of all children in the state as well as low-income families, seniors and persons with disabilities. But lack of adequate and ongoing funding means Medi-Cal patients must often wait months to see primary care doctors or cardiologists, pediatric specialists or orthopedists. Prop 35 will expand access to care for low-income families, the elderly, and children on Medi-Cal who currently have a difficult time getting the care they need.

“With 24 health centers across Los Angeles County, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles offers comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services to hundreds of thousands of Angelenos, including those on Medi-Cal,” said Celinda M. Vázquez, Executive Director, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County. “But provider shortages are severely straining our health care system across the state and Proposition 35 is needed to fund workforce training programs to ensure more health care workers are trained and educated, so all patients can access the care they need and deserve.”

Prop 35 prevents the state from redirecting these funds for other purposes and contains strong accountability requirements, including mandating that 99% of revenues must go to patient care and requiring annual independent performance audits to ensure funds are spent effectively and as intended.

“California’s health care crisis is overloading emergency rooms, hurting families and impeding economic growth. More than 40 California hospitals have closed their labor wards since 2012. As more hospitals and maternity wards shut their doors, we urge every California voter to support Proposition 35 this November. We proudly support this proposal to stabilize and shore up our health care infrastructure for the benefit of patients and hospital staff, as well as local businesses that depend on healthy, thriving communities,” said Tracy Hernandez, Founding CEO of the Los Angeles County Business Federation, widely known as “BizFed.”

For more information, visit https://voteyes35.com/

About the Yes on Prop 35 Coalition
The Yes on Prop 35 Coalition is a group of physicians, hospitals, health care workers, community health centers, Planned Parenthood, dentists, and emergency responders dedicated to increasing access to health care.

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