Alameda County’s Measure B pushes closer to a win

The latest results for Measure B show a majority of South Alameda County voters are in favor of a parcel tax to help pay for a local hospital district’s facility and service improvements, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.

As of Friday afternoon, 46,473 voters, or almost 65%, were in favor of Measure B, while 25,166, or about 35%, were against it.

The county’s top election official, Tim DuPuis, previously said his office still had mail-in ballots and others left to count before election results could be certified. As of Saturday, the county’s website listed at least 2,200 ballots as still uncured, with the latest report expected from DuPuis’ office by Monday.

Measure B is expected to generate $13 million annually over the next 12 years for Washington Township Health Care District, a special district that includes the cities of Fremont, Newark and Union City, as well as parts of Hayward and Sunol. The measure would apply a 5-cent parcel tax per square-foot of residential and commercial properties within the district.

The measure received no formal opposition leading up to this year’s election.

Hospital officials have said it will use the tax revenue to “keep medical equipment and technology up-to-date, reduce emergency room wait times; and ensure that our community has highly qualified doctors, surgeons and nurses,” according to the ballot measure.

Washington Hospital, headquartered in Fremont, provides emergency and hospital services to residents throughout South Alameda County. The hospital also has the only trauma center for residents in the area, which helps patients suffering from severe injuries.