BCHD is undergoing its Municipal Service Review (MSR) through the Los Angeles County Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO), culminating in a (virtual) public meeting Wednesday, September 14.
LAFCOs are public agencies with county-wide jurisdiction tasked with overseeing changes to local government boundaries involving the formation and expansion of cities and special districts. State law mandates that LAFCOs prepare Municipal Service Reviews that provide a comprehensive analysis of municipal services including an evaluation of existing and future service conditions. There was a MSR conducted on BCHD in 2004, and the same report was reconfirmed by the LAFCO Commission in November 2012.
The MSR for both healthcare districts in Los Angeles County – Antelope Valley Healthcare District and BCHD – will be on the agenda for the LAFCO commission meeting September 14, 2022, at 9 a.m. The meeting agenda and more information is available by clicking here.
The staff report was released September 7, 2022, to be considered and discussed by the Commission at their September 14, 2022 meeting. The agenda item is for both healthcare districts in Los Angeles County, BCHD and the Antelope Valley Healthcare District, which operates the Antelope Valley Medical Center. It includes the Municipal Service Review (MSR), the Sphere of Influence (SOI) update, and the authorization of the functions and classes of services for each of the healthcare districts Among the highlights from the LAFCO Staff Report:
• The agenda item is for both healthcare districts in Los Angeles County, BCHD and the Antelope Valley Healthcare District, which operates the Antelope Valley Medical Center. It includes the MSR, the SOI update, the authorization of the functions and classes of services for each of the healthcare districts
• Currently, BCHD’s SOI is larger than its jurisdictional boundaries and LAFCO staff is recommending amending BCHD’s Sphere of influence to be in alignment with our existing jurisdictional boundaries, or a “coterminous SOI”—this is because since the adoption of the SOI in 1983, BCHD has made no efforts to expand our jurisdiction and have no plan to expand our jurisdiction in the foreseeable future.
• The report clarifies that there is no merit to claims that BCHD cannot provide services within our jurisdictional boundaries to people who live outside of our boundaries. The law does not impose a residency requirement for an individual who received services within the boundaries of a special district.
• The report states and reiterates that the proposed Healthy Living Campus project is outside of the statutory authority of LAFCO and that land use decision issues fall to BCHD and the city of Redondo Beach.
• The determinations state that because the outcome of the Healthy Living Campus is unknown, the adequacy of BCHD to provide public services in the future, the planned capacity of public facilities and financial ability of BCHD to provide services in the future are unknown at this time and dependent on whether the Campus project will move forward.
• LAFCO staff concluded that BCHD operates in a transparent manner and highlighted the District’s transparency awards, district and board recognition, and budget and finance awards.
• The staff report also mentions that while there are claims that BCHD is not being responsive to requests for public information, the data reflects that BCHD is making a diligent and concerted effort to be responsive to public records requests.
