A new tax to fund urgent medical care in the Coast Life Support District has come out a winner in the final results of a special election held Tuesday, the Sonoma County Elections Office said.
The final tally in favor of Measure J was just 47 votes above the two-thirds threshold needed for it to win.
But a margin of support just a hair below 69 percent was enough to ensure it takes effect, as district officials had hoped.
The Coast Life Support District covers a 60-mile stretch of North Coast straddling the Sonoma and Mendocino county line, in a remote area where most residents are a 1-1/2- to 2-1/2-hour drive from the nearest hospital, district officials say.
The vote means the district will collect up to $112 more a year from most households to fund urgent care clinic hours in Gualala, both during the weekday and, soon, on weekends.
Officials are meeting Monday "to see what we can do to get this thing rolled out by July 1," board member Richard Perry said.
The final count from Tuesday's election gave Measure J 1,431 "yes" votes and 645 "no" votes between the two counties.
In Sonoma County, it earned support from 74.5 percent of the voters. Mendocino County's affirmative votes reached 64.4 percent.
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