Voters in west Contra Costa County overwhelmingly passed a parcel tax Tuesday to resuscitate Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo, which has the region's only full-service emergency room. Measure J won by 74%, according to semiofficial results. It needed a two-thirds majority to pass. "We're very pleased that voters recognize the importance of keeping this hospital open," said Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia. "This gives us some breathing room to work out a long-term sustainable financial model." The $47-per-year tax will bring in about $5 million annually, enough to stave off creditors and keep Doctors Medical Center open for the foreseeable future. If the tax failed, the hospital would have almost certainly closed, officials said.
