10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 1-7, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com When the Salinas Valley Health Medical Center emergency department was built in 1980, it was designed to handle 15,000 patient visits a year. Today the 17-bed department sees 65,000 visits annually. Doctors, nurses and technicians regularly play a game of Tetris to care for patients within the facility’s constraints. “When you’re challenged from a geographic or space issue you have to become extremely efficient,” says Dr. Allen Radner, SVH president and CEO. Anticipating an increase in patients at the start of Covid-19, SVH officials added triage tents outside of the emergency department which worked well—so well, the tents remained after the pandemic subsided. In the meantime, officials weighed how to move away from tents toward a more permanent solution, Radner says. Ultimately that would mean building a whole new facility. That step would take years and a large amount of capital, so officials debated whether to upgrade the tents or switch to temporary modular buildings until a permanent solution was ready. The decision was made to go modular, but even that process was a lengthy one—about a year—due to strict California Department of Public Health Guidelines. “It’s a laborious, complicated process to get approval,” Radner says. The cost of the project was over $1.1 million, approved by the SVH board of directors in 2024. Two modular buildings were finally certified by the state to open last July, and so far it’s working well—doctors, nurses and patients are especially appreciative now that the rainy season is here, Radner says Leaders of the public health care district are now turning their attention to a $10 million capital campaign through the nonprofit SVH Foundation, with the goal of constructing a $100 million facility of 40 beds or more to replace the current administration building. The plan is to tear down the administration building to make room for the new facility. In June, the board approved $1.6 million for initial plans by HDR Architecture based in Omaha, Nebraska, with an amount up to $2 million for additional services as needed. The hope is to start the project in early 2027, with a goal of opening in 2030. “If we could get it open in three years, I’d be pretty happy,” Radner says. Over the past few months, the cities of Soledad and Gonzales have each conducted surveys to assess community interest in a parcel tax to fund their fire departments. Emergency calls have increased. In Soledad, calls have doubled in the past decade; over 20 years in Gonzales, calls have nearly tripled, according to an analysis by officials in each city. Fire departments, however, haven’t grown at the same rate; both have a team of seven. “We haven’t seen additional people on our equipment,” says Cal Fire Battalion Chief Jason Luckenbach. (Soledad contracts with Cal Fire.) Response times are within the standard, under five minutes, but each engine has a crew of two firefighters, below the recommendation. The National Fire Protection Association recommends four; many departments operate with three. Most calls—75 percent in Soledad and 64 percent in Gonzales—are for non-fire-related incidents including medical emergencies. The potential measures both cities are looking into would be similar to one Greenfield voters approved in 2017. Soledad is considering floating an annual parcel tax of $226 per single-family residential parcel and $169 per apartment; Gonzales is looking at $349 for single-family parcel and $262 per apartment. Soledad City Council could decide to bring the issue to voters as early as June 2026. If approved, funds would be used for personnel and replacing outdated equipment. The Soledad Fire Department’s budget for this fiscal year is $4.3 million. City Manager Megan Hunter says the city doesn’t have enough money to fund new positions and equipment and a new funding source is needed. “We would be in a lot of hurt if not for Measure S and Measure Y,” Hunter says, referring to voter-approved sales tax measures from 2012 and 2020. Soledad is still waiting for survey results while Gonzales City Manager Carmel Gil says results are favorable, showing support for a measure. Build Out SVH embarks on a $10 million capital campaign to build a new emergency department. By Pam Marino NEWS WHARF WALK Historian Tim Thomas leads monthly walking tours of Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf. The next tour’s theme is “The Saga of the Sardine Industry of the Monterey Bay.” 10am-noon Saturday, Jan. 3. Meet near Harbor House store, 1 Old Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey. Free. Reserve by calling (831) 646-3933, monterey.gov/ library/events. PUBLIC FACING Monterey County Board of Supervisors meets to discuss county business. Public comment is accepted. 9am Tuesday, Jan. 6. Board of Supervisors chambers, 168 W. Alisal St., first floor, Salinas. Free. (831) 7555025, countyofmonterey.gov. FUTURE CITIZENS Adults studying to take the citizenship interview are invited to attend a class to help them prepare. 5:30-7pm Tuesday, Jan. 6. Cesar Chavez Library, 615 Williams Road, Salinas. Free. (831) 758-7916, library. salinas.gov. GET HIRED Monterey County Works hosts a job fair to connect local employers with job seekers. Attendees are encouraged to bring their résumés and dress to impress. 1-4pm Wednesday, Jan. 7. Career Center, 344 Salinas St., Suites 205206, Salinas. Free. (831) 796-3335. Register at montereycountyworks.com. TAKE OUT Marina Planning Commission meets to consider removing up to 55 trees from the California Avenue portion of the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway (FORTAG) project. Public comment is accepted. 6:30pm Thursday, Jan. 8. Marina City Council Chambers, 211 Hillcrest Ave., Marina. Free. (831) 884-1278, cityofmarina.org. BE INVOLVED City of Monterey is recruiting to fill vacant seats on the Building and Housing Appeals Board and the Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program Committee. A resident representing Monterey is also sought on the Transportation Agency for Monterey County Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Committee. Applications are due Jan. 16. monterey. gov/bcc. VISION 2040 City of Salinas’ draft 2040 General Plan is available for public review. The plan outlines the city’s growth through 2040. Public review period ends Feb. 13. vision.salinas.gov. Fired Up South County cities explore ways to get more funding for fire departments. By Celia Jiménez Two modular buildings replaced Covid-era triage tents in July, outside of the outdated emergency department at Salinas Valley Health. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “If we could open in three years, I’d be pretty happy.” RICHARD GREEN
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