PRESS RELEASE
Report Of Local Healthcare Layoffs Caused By Federal Funding Cuts Shows Need For San Diego’s Measure B
SAN DIEGO, CA— Sharp HealthCare’s decision announced yesterday to lay off 260 frontline healthcare workers is the direct result of last year’s federal healthcare cuts, the Yes on Measure B campaign warned today, stressing that San Diego faces a rapidly escalating medical crisis unless voters intervene this November.
The widely reported local healthcare layoffs stem from the steep cuts to Medi-Cal in 2025’s H.R. 1 (the “Big Beautiful Bill Act”) on top of the expiration of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Without Measure B, hospitals and clinics across San Diego County will face more layoffs, care disruptions and longer wait times for patients across the county.
Mark Stuart, CEO Of the San Diego Foundation and spokesperson for the Yes on Measure B campaign, said: “These healthcare layoffs are a clear warning sign for San Diego. Washington’s healthcare cuts mean deep cuts here in San Diego with more families losing coverage, more nurses getting laid off and more hospitals understaffed and overwhelmed. Measure B is essential to preventing these kinds of deep, harmful cuts to San Diegans’ healthcare before this crisis gets even worse.”
In yesterday’s Union-Tribune, Chris Howard, CEO of Sharp Healthcare pointed directly to severe federal healthcare cuts for driving the layoffs:
Chris Howard, Sharp’s chief executive officer, who took a pay cut last year when announcing the first round of layoffs, said that reductions to federal reimbursement programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, many driven by H.R. 1, the president’s budget bill passed by Congress last year, have created a need for further cuts.
Measure B is a citizen-led initiative on the November 2026 ballot designed to protect local healthcare coverage, public health programs, 911 emergency response, and public safety in San Diego County. Measure B is endorsed by community advocates and labor including the American Academy of Pediatrics-San Diego Chapter, San Diego County Hospital Association, San Diego County Firefighters CAL-FIRE Local 2281, and First 5 San Diego.
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