REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (August 19, 2024) – Looking to raise capital for the permanent home of allcove Beach Cities, demolish its former hospital building and develop open space on its campus, the Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) Board of Directors voted unanimously to place a general obligation bond on the November 2024 ballot during their meeting in July.
The $30 million bond initiative - called Measure BC - would provide funding for capital expenditures, including expanding youth mental health services by completing the allcove Beach Cities youth center using environmental and sustainability best practices. Funds will also be used to demolish the old South Bay Hospital building that was built in the late 1950s and does not meet current seismic construction standards. Then, the area where the building currently sits would be replaced with approximately two acres of open space to be used for outdoor health and wellness programs.
“We have analyzed many ways to fund the allcove building, which will provide health and wellness services for young people in the Beach Cities,” said Tom Bakaly, CEO of BCHD. “These options include equity, debt financing, public-private partnerships (P3), plus new revenue sources like grants, sponsorships, and general obligation bonds.”
The bond would levy a tax of approximately $3 per $100,000 of assessed property value, money that would go toward BCHD to repay the bond. If an owner’s property is worth $1 million, for example, they’d pay $30 a year. Measure BC would also require that all spending be publicly disclosed and monitored, with all funds being used locally. It calls for the removal and demolition of the former hospital building while also funding the use of recycled water and solar power for the allcove Beach Cities facility.
At the [July] regular meeting of the Board of Directors, FM3, a Los Angeles-based public policy-oriented research firm, presented the results of a scientific survey of registered voters in the Beach Cities this spring that found that 66 percent of likely voters believe there is a need for funding for community health and wellness services in the Beach Cities area, up 14% from a similar FM3 survey conducted in the fall of 2021. The Board of Directors considered these findings as part of its decision to place the bond measure on the November ballot.
Media Contacts: Dan Smith, dan.smith@bchd.org or Cristan Mueller, cristan.mueller@bchd.org
