Thanks to the years of long, tireless efforts by David Gauny and Smart Growth SCV, we have a much better expansion of the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital campus than originally proposed.

It was inevitable after the last City Council election that G&L would ultimately get its medical office buildings and parking structures approved as stated before the vote by Mayor Bob Kellar.

I appreciate the two "no" votes since it will be a very long time before this approved master plan is all about "health care" via operating rooms and hospital beds.

(The new doctors clamoring for the slated medical office buildings sure won't be surgeons).

With the credit crisis and level of existing and upcoming vacancies in the existing G&L medical office buildings, it's doubtful there will be much construction anytime soon.

In the meantime, our community will continue circling the campus to find grossly deficient parking, and our fastest-growing population segment and most vulnerable citizens - seniors - will be shipped to Astoria in Sylmar for transitional care.