Open letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom: Our Brown, rural, binational community is falling apart
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Dear Gov. Newsom,
Our Brown, rural, binational community is falling apart.
In a rural, binational community located in the dry desert along the U.S. border, between the coast of San Diego and state of Arizona, lies our Imperial Valley. In a region serving 179,000 residents − plus visitors from the neighboring capital city of Mexicali, off-road enthusiasts who visit the Imperial Sand Dunes each year, annual “snowbirds,” and our local prison population -- there’s no way that one of the two remaining hospitals within County lines could possibly close, right?
Right?
The idea of a hospital closing in such an area, especially one in the progressive state of California that touts social justice and equity, seems ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as a group of elected officials celebrating the closure of a 67-year-old maternity ward at El Centro Regional Medical Center.
With a $125 million debt bond that has come due and only enough cash to maintain operations until April, one of the two remaining hospitals face the reality that it may be forced to shutter its door and leave only a single, lone hospital to serve the entire region and populations listed above.
Yet, we should have all seen this coming. Although officials have stressed that closing the hospital is not and was never a possibility, barring any Hail Mary from a local doctor or political bailout, it seems the closure will follow the same pattern and in the steps of so many rural hospitals across our country.
Over the last decade, over 130 rural hospitals closed, with a record number closing in 2020, remarkably at the precipice of the COVID-19 pandemic. Locally, the precedent for a hospital closure was set two decades ago when Calexico’s Heffernan Hospital shut its doors for good. Calexico, the same city that sees millions of fieldworkers, students, and travelers cross every year providing a boost to our workforce and economy.
However, getting the short end of the stick and seeing the widening gap between the haves and have-nots is something that we have unfortunately become accustomed to in the Imperial Valley.
One has to ask, in a region that feeds the world, majority-Hispanic, binational, bicultural, rural, small-town-Friday-night-lights; all combined with the governor’s commitment to equity being at the forefront of every decision, that a place like the Imperial Valley would be adequately funded, resourced, and appreciated. At the very least, recognized.
Yet, much like the previous decades, the Imperial Valley continues to be overlooked and disregarded despite the many boxes it checks on the governor’s social-justice buzzword jargon.
Whether being home to one of the most polluted rivers in America that courses through the county and dumps into the drying and toxic Salton Sea, to our air quality that fails to meet federal standards, to our water being under attack and putting an entire industry at risk, or you can simply pick any of the following that one would assume would get the governor’s immediate attention:
Now, our healthcare system is bursting at the seams, potentially leaving behind unfortunate, unemployed and lost workers, mothers and families.
To which we have to ask, where is our fearless leader?
Our local physicians and officials are speaking up, as they did when supporting the COVID health mandates and lockdowns imposed by Governor Newsom, but our absent governor is now leaving them praying and shouting to a God that isn’t there.
Despite mentioning Imperial Valley and “Lithium Valley” in his California Blueprint, Gov. Newsom seemed to ignore the entire region during his recall campaign where he made stops to the neighboring cities of Coachella and San Diego. He did make a recent visit to the area, but chose to ignore all those within county lines and instead visited with the governor of Baja California in the city of Mexicali. Many, like ourselves, only found out through his official TikTok.
The blatant disregard from our esteemed governor, and potential president, has gone on far too long.
Governor Newsom, where are you?
Although we appreciate your efforts in providing aid and assistance to the hundreds of asylum seekers and families being left on our streets in the middle of the night to fend for themselves, you are still nowhere to be seen as we battle crisis after crisis.
Governor, we are not asking you to save us. At this point, not even asking for help, but to simply acknowledge us. See us. Be with us. The very least you can do is provide our community with some dignity as we fall apart in our hot and barren desert, ignored and seemingly forgotten by our very own leader whom a majority of Imperial Valley voters supported.
Gil Rebollar, of Brawley, Andrew Arevalo, of El Centro and Marco L. Perrone, of Calexico are a group of concerned and lifelong citizens of Imperial Valley that represent our southern city of Calexico, central one of El Centro, and northern one of Brawley. Collectively, their work spans public education, environmental issues, and public administration within Imperial Valley. Their emails are Gilly_Rebollar@hotmail.com, arevaloandrew13@yahoo.com and marcoperrone23@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: An open letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom: Acknowledge Imperial Valley
