Facts About BCHD’s $30M Bond Measure BC
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Beach Cities Health District’s $30M Bond Measure BC is substantially misleading. BCHD omits important information that the taxpayers of Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach NEED TO KNOW.
Poor fiscal management
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BCHD would increase their own tax levy on residents of the three beach cities by 35%, for up to 40 years. BCHD already takes in over $5M annually of Beach Cities residents’ property taxes.
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BCHD's top 5 executives take in $1.2M per year. Nearly half of the $5M from taxpayers goes to their top 14 executives. [Ref. Transparent California -2023]
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BCHD has spent nearly $13 million of your tax money on “Pre-Development” for its so-called “Healthy Living Campus” project. [Ref. HLC Budget July 2024]
Your tax dollars would benefit private developers
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Taxpayers would now fund projects that BCHD’s private developer, PMB had agreed to pay for: demolition of the former South Bay hospital, open space, and other construction, grading, retaining wall and parking lot. [Ref: Cain Bros. Ground Lease]
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Measure BC indirectly funds the private developer and relieves them of $21M in costs. If the bond passes, BCHD states they will go back to PMB, to build a 100% privately owned, high-cost RCFE structure on public land. All for a project never voted for by the three beach cities.
allcove cost obligations
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In accepting a $6.3M building grant for allcove youth center, BCHD agreed to an obligation of 30 years, with NO long-term grant funding. Estimated bond costs for allcove nearly tripled from previous estimates ($3M to $9M), for a project touted as being nearly completely covered by grants. [Ref: Terms of allcove BHCIP grant, 2023] [Ref: BCHD BOD Jun/July 2024].
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While allcove renders beneficial services for youth, BCHD fails to mention it is fully operating now. allcove can continue to operate fully within existing space on BCHD’s sites without new construction, even if BCHD voluntarily decides to demolish Building 514. The Bond is NOT needed for allcove, there is no connection between BCHD spending your tax dollars and their providing mental health services to youth. BCHD has stated, allcove can just as easily operate at another of their sites.
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Taxpayers of Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach alone would pay for allcove services that covers L.A. County’s Service Planning Area (SPA8) spanning 23 cities* from Athens to Avalon, with a population of 1.4 million residents. Beach cities taxpayers would be paying for a service area 10X larger than the three beach cities.
Optional Building 514 Demolition
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The demolition of Building 514 is voluntary - there no legal requirement to demo at this time. Like many other Los Angeles County buildings constructed in the 1960s, the structure conforms to existing earthquake standards. BCHD’s own consultant (Youssef Assoc. Engineers) reported that “best practice” for LA County allowed the building up to 25 more years of use. [Ref: BCHD CWG Presentation – Youssef 2018]
Open Space not for public general use
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Previously, BCHD claimed they were creating “public open space”. The measure now states that any open space created is “limited to” BCHD’s use for programming. It would not be for general public use.
*SPA 8: comprised of the communities of Athens, Avalon, Carson, Catalina Island, El Segundo, Gardena, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, Long Beach*, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Dominguez, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, San Pedro, Torrance, Wilmington, and others. [Ref.: LA County SPA8]. *Long Beach has it’s own health district.