Elephant in the District

9/22/22 - https://easyreadernews.com/letters-to- the-editor-9-22-22/

Dear ER:

On September 14, we witnessed everything that’s wrong with Special Districts in a single meeting of the Los Angeles Local Area Formation Commission. LAFCO unanimously approved BCHD’s municipal service review without requiring BCHD to demonstrate that its proposed building expansion to 800,000 sq. ft. has any benefits to the residents of the District. The Healthy Living Campus expansion is being done for the benefit of 80 percent to 95 percent non-residents, requires a $200,000 annual income in retirement to pay senior housing rent and includes 1.3 million non-residents, all being served on the backs of the taxpayers of Hermosa, Redondo and Manhattan Beach. The state’s Little Hoover Commission wrote a long report highlighting out of control districts. Like BCHD, most have perpetual tax money because we voters in 1955 didn’t put a sunset provision in the vote to build a hospital.

For the want of one phrase, such as, “In the event the hospital fails, tax funding immediately ceases,” special districts are taxpayer cash looking for a cause. Little Hoover was right, Special Districts are a train wreck. What Little Hoover missed was that LAFCO’s (every county has one) may be the engineers.

Mark Nelson

Redondo Beach

Budget burden

Easy Reader, 9/1/22 https://easyreadernews.com/letters-to-the-editor-9-1-22/

Dear ER:

My wife and I have lived one block west of the Beach Cities Health District since 1984. I served two terms on the BCHD Finance Committee, and have sadly watched as the Health District management mismanaged their goal/directive to operate within a break-even budget.

This year has been a disaster for the District. They have given up on any pretense of staying within their budget and are trying to give away public taxpayer owned land to a private developer. CEO Tom Bakaly and his managers are doing this to hang on to their $250,000 plus salaries for another 10 to 15 years during the construction of the wealthy, out-of-towners only, half a billion dollar retirement center.

When that project fails, as it surely will, then Redondo, Hermosa, and Manhattan Beach home owners like myself will see our property taxes quadruple to bail out the developer. Now is the time to stop this insanity.

Pat Wickens

Redondo Beach https://easyreadernews.com/letters-to-the-editor-9-1-22/

Stop BCHD

Easy Reader, 8/18/22

https://easyreadernews.com/letters-to-the-editor-8-18-22/

Dear ER:

BCHD is contracting with a Developer/Owner/Operator for Phase 1 of their proposed Healthy Living Campus. In the past five years BCHD has spent $10 million of taxpayer funds and met virtually none of the criteria in the Redondo Beach Municipal Code. BCHD’s proposal is about five-times taller than surrounding property and 150-times larger. Its design is that of a Miami high rise resort, and is completely a blight on neighborhood character, consistency and compatibility. Hopefully an experienced developer will heed the rules and respect both the elevated site and the surrounding neighborhoods that have over $50 million in reduced value.

Go to StopBCHD.com to learn more.

Mark Nelson

Redondo Beach