SEQUOIA HEALTHCARE DISTRICT BOARD RACE RAISES DISTURBING QUESTIONS

By Michael G. Stogner

Published in the WAMP (Woodside, Atherton, Menlo Park, Portola Valley newspaper)

Candidate Questions Legality of Taxation The Weekly Wamp Staff Report

The race for three open seats on the five-member board of the Sequoia Healthcare District shows signs of becoming a hallmark campaign. Candidate Michael Stogner, one of the three members of a coalition slate running for the most unusual platform of removing an organization they claim is operating without a mandate of the voters, has raised the question of whether the District has been collecting taxes illegally for 14 years.

"We're looking into it and we have a lot more information to review, but at this point it seems clear that there are serious questions and some substantial doubts as to the legality of these taxes" Stogner told the WAMP.

The answer is buried in documents both from 1946 and a 'Measure H' which was passed in 1996 the year the Healthcare District Board sold the hospital and according to Grand Juries in both 2000-01 and 2001-02 lost its mandate to exist. At the same time, everyone seems to agree, the Board morphed into a philanthropic organization but one which had according to the two Grand Juries, no legislative or electoral mandate to continue to collect taxes for any purpose behind date of sale.

It is the maintenance of the three member slate of Jack Hickey, Fredrick Graham, and Michael Stogner that there could be a covert intent behind this conversion, i.e. for the purpose of favoring politically friendly organizations and unions with an eye towards garnering influence and votes under the cover of a public posture of philanthropy.

In any event, what does seem valid in in Mr. Stogner's position is that the resolution of the legislative or electoral mandate of the Board to levy taxes and disperse grants trumps all other topics for this simple reason: if the Board is not legally constituted and is collecting taxes in a manner that is outside the legal description how taxation is allowed to be levied, then all other topics of diligence and notability are instantly rendered moot.

"We have a lot of work to but we are going to resolve this issue publicly and soon," said Stogner

The Hickey Coalition is running against four other opponents 1,2,3, and 4 none of whom share their concern regarding the legal basis for taxation.