News and editorial articles from across Imperial County.
He’s at it again. After ramming through the deeply flawed AB 918 last year, Assemblymember Garcia’s missteps have only multiplied. Now, with the legislative session nearing its end this week, Garcia was hoping he could quietly push through a “clean up” bill, SB 1070, as a last-minute attempt to rectify some of the critical flaws
On Thursday June 13, 2024, the Imperial Valley Healthcare District (IVHD) passed a resolution to recommend the dissolution of the Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District (PMHD) on December 1 and Heffernan Memorial Healthcare District on October 1, 2024. This action was taken in following the mandates established in AB918. What does “dissolution” mean? Section 32499.95(b) states: “Effective on
Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia and Senator Steve Padilla continue to focus on health care and its financial situation. Assembly bill 2098 authored by Garcia has recently been approved in the Assembly and moves to the Senate for Padilla’s management of it. The summary states, “Under existing law, the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Act (act) authorizes the
In April 2024, Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District (PMHD) filed a writ of mandate in Imperial County Superior Court, seeking declaratory relief from Assembly Bill 918, which the district claims has adversely affected its operations and threatens to undermine healthcare in the Imperial Valley. AB 918 resulted in a set of special laws applicable only to
During the Imperial Valley Healthcare District meeting held on March 11, the Kaufman Hall feasibility study was reviewed and discussed. One of the participants via Zoom was Patty Maysent, CEO for UCSD Health and a current member of the El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) Board of Trustees. While Maysent had some pertinent information to
For months now the Imperial Valley Coalition for Sustainable Healthcare Facilities (CSHF) has warned of the consequences of a rushed, ill-advised implementation of AB918. We have provided detailed information on the flaws in the new law and the consequences of its implementation. This week, Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District filed a lawsuit against the newly formed
The much anticipated Kaufman Hall Study finally arrived, albeit the summary only. So what do we now know? Just as a refresher, this Kaufman Hall study was commissioned by Preston Hollow, the bond holder for ECRMC in an effort to determine if merging the districts was feasible. As such, it is a proprietary work product subject to Preston
At a recent Imperial Valley Healthcare District board meeting, the CEO of ECRMC strongly rejected any consideration on a bankruptcy as part of the negotiation. He cited that he could not do that to the ECRMC employees or the local vender. As the readers now know, ECRMC has an approximate $200 million debt and still
Rants and Raves of Imperial Valley is a group on Facebook that comments on the good and bad things here. Other areas have the same type of groups. Having watched the February 22, 2024 Imperial Valley Healthcare District, my team and I have chosen to use this rants and raves format to comment on the meeting. First of
It’s Peace Out for Assemblyman Garcia. In most of our articles, we have been advocating for amendments to AB918. To see these suggested amendments go to the Solutions page. In the State Legislature February 16 is the last day that any amendments can be initiated for amendments to any prior chaptered bill, like AB918. However, it is clear