Politics of the proposal to annex Coastside to healthcare district

A couple of weeks ago, the Sequoia Healthcare District expressed an interest in annexing the Coastside to help alleviate the crisis created by the closing of our medical clinic.

The political motivations of the move were telegraphed the headline’s reference to district president Don Horsley. Horsley is running against Coastsider April Vargas for Supervisor Rich Gordon’s seat next year.

The County Times talked to one of Horsley’s board members about the politics of the move. Jack Hickey wants to shut down the district and sell its assets, and he called Horsley’s plan "crazy".

"As far as I’m concerned (it) was a political move, since he needs name recognition out on the coast," said Hickey, noting that April Vargas, a Coastside activist, is one of the early candidates for Gordon’s seat. ...

Horsley, who lived for a time in Moss Beach, said he would be studying annexation even if he weren’t planning to run for the Board of Supervisors. ...

Though he likes the idea of annexation, Horsley said the district will look at other options. He said one solution may be to establish an urgent-care facility, which would be particularly useful on weekends, when Highway 92 is clogged with traffic.

The board will begin studying the annexation as early as next month.