Santa Clara County to Buy Regional Medical Center, Reopen Trauma Services April 1, Lee Says

Board President Otto Lee delivered the Santa Clara County State of the County address on March 14 at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose, saying the county will finalize the purchase of the Regional Medical Center (RMC) on April 1 and reopen its trauma level 2 emergency center that day.

"In just about two weeks, on April 1 ... we will finalize the purchase of the regional medical center. And on that very same day, we will be reopening this trauma level 2 emergency center," Board President Otto Lee said during the address, adding that "over 1,000 current RMC employees have already applied to stay on."

Lee used the speech to frame both immediate county actions and broader threats from proposed federal cuts. He said Santa Clara County has a budget of "over $12,000,000,000," and that about $3.6 billion — roughly 30% — comes from federal reimbursements and grants. "About $3 billion of the federal funds alone are for medical and Medicare," he said, warning that reductions at the federal level could force deep local impacts.

Why it matters: the county relies heavily on federal funding for health programs, behavioral health services and in‑home supportive services (IHSS). Lee warned that changes at the federal level could reduce Medicaid/Medi‑Cal funding and harm services for seniors, people with disabilities and other vulnerable residents.

Major program updates and results cited by Lee included: 208 new mental‑health and substance‑use treatment beds added to county capacity with 227 more planned next year; establishment of a Compass Clinic at Valley Health Center Moore Park offering walk‑in services, telehealth and addiction treatment; county adoption of the CalAIM initiative to integrate behavioral health into patient‑centered care; launch of the 988 crisis line and a direct county trust line for non‑law‑enforcement crisis response; and creation of an ODfreescc.gov site and a post‑overdose support team.

Lee described public‑health laboratory work on avian influenza, saying the county lab found H5N1 in tested raw milk and that the county lab performed nearly two‑thirds of all human bird‑flu tests in California during the past year.

Homelessness and housing: Lee said 3,600 people experiencing homelessness were placed into permanent housing and 2,400 households received prevention assistance over the past year. He also said five affordable and supportive housing developments completed 340 apartments for unhoused families, transition‑age youth, single adults, agricultural workers and households at risk. Lee highlighted the Royal Oak Village in Morgan Hill — which opened with 30 affordable units for farmworker families — and said the Magnolia project in Morgan Hill is under way.

Justice and youth services: Lee described expansion of alternatives to incarceration, including a mental‑health arraignment court pilot intended to divert people into care; he credited cooperation between the public defender's office and the district attorney for reductions in time spent in custody. He added that 53 youth at the county juvenile hall earned high‑school diplomas last year.

Veterans and emergency response: Lee noted county efforts to support veterans, including mobile dental services and a CalVet‑funded social‑worker program providing case management. He also thanked county firefighters who were sent to aid Los Angeles County and said the county plans to deploy AI fire‑detection sensors across about 6,000 county acres as a prevention measure and has released a multi‑jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan.

County concerns about federal policy: Lee warned of recent federal actions he said were undermining agencies and programs, naming the CHIPS Act (which funds semiconductor incentives), federal education and environment offices, and saying mass federal staffing changes risked personnel loss and program disruptions. He said misinformation about vaccines and a skeptical health‑department leader had also created public‑health challenges.

The address concluded with recognition of community organizations and individual honorees across county supervisorial districts and a call to unity and civic kindness.

Ending note: Lee closed by urging partnership among jurisdictions and residents to protect public services and continue county programs amid uncertainty at the federal level.