COMMONSENSE MEASURE WILL SAVE JOBS AND KEEP LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOMS OPEN THROUGH ONE-TIME TAX ON BILLIONAIRES
CULVER CITY, Calif. — California’s billionaires pay much lower tax rates than what working families pay out of every paycheck. And now, massive federal funding cuts have begun to push key parts of the California healthcare system to the brink of collapse, including many hospitals and clinics serving residents in Los Angeles County.
To stop these dire consequences, Culver City Mayor Freddy Puza is entering the battle, calling on billionaires to pay their fair share.
“Clinics are closing. Hospitals are facing financial strain. And families are worried about healthcare access and rising costs. Clearly we must take action. That’s why I support the California Billionaire Tax,” said Culver City Mayor Freddy Puza.
Several local hospitals in the area are at risk of closing or potential staffing cuts because of federal healthcare cuts. They include:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles
- Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles
- East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital in Los Angeles
- PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles
As federal healthcare cuts from H.R. 1 begin to rip healthcare away from millions of Californians, Puza is joining a growing list of lawmakers supporting a one-time 5% emergency tax on California’s roughly 200 billionaires as a direct response to the massive cuts. The commonsense measure is designed to ensure that billionaires pay their fair share to stabilize and protect the state’s vast healthcare system, including hospitals, nursing homes, community health centers, and home care services. The California Billionaire Tax coalition also recently filed more than 1.5 million signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
“Mayor Puza knows that billionaires need to pay their fair share to keep our hospitals open. We appreciate his support for the California Billionaire Tax,” said Debru Carthan, Vice President of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, one of the lead sponsors of the California Billionaire Tax Act.
The more than 400 hospitals statewide have already laid off more than 3,400 healthcare workers as of mid-March, with a second wave of layoffs expected as funding cuts tied to recent federal policy changes are phased in over the next several years. Statewide, projections show the cuts could result in the loss of up to 145,000 healthcare jobs, impacting hospitals, clinics, and home care providers alike.
Without revenue from the California Billionaire Tax, federal healthcare cuts are expected to put an estimated 83 California hospitals and clinics at risk of closure. Cuts and closures have already started, impacting communities from Los Angeles to Oakland to Glenn County.
In November, California voters will at last have a chance to make billionaires pay their fair share to help prevent that, through a commonsense ballot initiative that places a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of approximately 200 billionaires who reside in the Golden State. Ninety percent of that funding will go to offset Medi-Cal cuts in order to prevent ER and other service closures, and 10% will go toward funding food assistance and public education.
About the California Billionaire Tax Act
The California Billionaire Tax Act proposes a one-time emergency tax on the wealth of the state’s ultra-high-net-worth individuals to safeguard Medi-Cal, keep hospitals and emergency rooms open, expand food assistance, and support public education. The initiative is a direct response to federal healthcare cuts under HR1 that threaten healthcare access and economic stability for millions of Californians.
| Paid for by Save California Health Care and Public Education, Sponsored by Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West. Committee’s Top Funder Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West |
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