MEASURE A SALES TAX INCREASE FOLLOW UP
Many of you read my April 1st post about the Measure A tax hike, and a lot of the responses went straight to the usual talking point , blaming Trump for “cutting federal funds.” That’s the automatic “go‑to” for some, but here’s the truth:
Santa Clara County had structural financial problems long before any federal cuts.
Our Board of Supervisors chose to buy and run three hospitals even though private operators, including established nonprofit and faith‑based healthcare systems, submitted bids to purchase and run these hospitals.
Since the takeover, costs have exploded. Public payroll records show dozens of hospital employees making over $400,000, and many physicians earning over $1 million a year. These are real numbers from Transparent California.
Name Title Total Pay (2023–24)
Mahesh Patel, M.D. Physician, VMC $1,141,912 (2023)
Don Hoang, M.D. Physician, VMC $1,165,307 (2023)
Long Trinh, M.D. Physician, VMC $1,130,603 (2023)
Yvonne Karanas, M.D. Physician, VMC $1,059,444 (2023)
Garin Gil Hecht, M.D. Physician, VMC $1,112,720 (2024)
Justin Lucas, M.D. Physician, VMC $1,092,962 (2024)
These are not one‑off cases. Transparent California lists hundreds of employees above $400,000 and many dozens above $900,000–$1,200,000. Even the County Health Authority CEO has a pay range up to $870,458, before benefits.
The county also spends tens of millions every year providing healthcare for uninsured residents, including undocumented individuals, another cost the Board refuses to be transparent about.
This is what happens when government tries to run a hospital system: sky‑high salaries, zero accountability, and no incentive to control costs.
The Board of Supervisors Is NOT qualified to run hospitals.
Supervisors are politicians not healthcare executives. Now taxpayers are stuck funding the system, as well as the long‑term pension and benefit liabilities.
No private hospital system in America would put elected officials in charge of operations but Santa Clara County did and taxpayers are paying the price. Meanwhile, the county keeps blaming outside forces for its budget crisis.
Stop blaming Trump. We can’t keep raising taxes to cover bad decisions. If the county doesn’t fix its spending and stop expanding into areas it can’t manage, we’re headed toward a financial cliff and no amount of new taxes will save us.