Campus debate

Easy Reader - 7/23/20

Dear ER:

There are some facts that the Beach Cities Health District isn’t prone to disclosing (“Healthy Living Campus debate centers on costs versus benefits,” ER July 16, 2020). First, in saying 29 percent of Beach City Health District’s revenue comes from property taxes, CEO Bakaly doesn’t mention that 50 percent of those property taxes are paid out to the top 10 highest paid executives at BCHD. That cannot be what voters imagined when they approved South Bay Hospital and the property tax rate in 1956. Second, Youssef Assoc., BCHDs expert seismic consultants, reported that no seismic retrofit is required, and that even if Redondo Beach adopted the strongest seismic ordinance in use anywhere, the South Bay Hospital building could remain in use until 2040. Last, BCHD paid $2 million to Blue Zones for advice. Part of Blue Zones advice, which BCHD chooses to ignore, is to reduce Chronic stress, what Blue Zones calls “the silent killer.” BCHD’s surrounding neighborhoods have been subject to chronic stress from the medical campus since 1960, and Bakaly is trying to increase the chronic stress level further with demolition, construction, and 50 to 100 years of  more operation. No matter what good intentions BCHD has, it’s already dumped 60 years of economic and environmental injustice on surrounding neighborhoods and intends to dump on us for 100 years more.

Mark Nelson

Local ownership

Dear ER:

I’ve noticed that the Beach Cities Health District has revved up its marketing and branding efforts. Their materials are distributed at city hall, in the mail, in restaurants, at events, twitter feeds, billboards, grocery stores, local newspapers, everywhere you and I go. This effort to influence us is intrusive and no other health district goes to this length or expense to influence its community. Why the branding and marketing overload?  BCHD is on a marketing blitz because it has a plan they want us to buy. That plan is to give 75 percent ownership of their new development, which is within the Redondo Beach boundary, to a real estate investor group. If this plan goes through, for the next 50 years or more our property will be out of the hands of the community. This is not good for Redondo Beach residents. Do we want this property to be used for the benefit of the community or for the benefit of a private investor? Do we want this property to be used for its zoned purpose of parks, open space, and recreational facilities or to be used for a luxury assisted living facility for the benefit of investors? Why turn over our future to hedge funds and private equity money? We must not fall for BCHD’s marketing gimmicks and we must say no to this new development plan.

Sheila W. Lamb

Redondo Beach

Seniors’ moment

Dear ER:

The Beach Cities Health District, instead of being intent on real estate and money to be made or lost there, would do well to focus on what’s been called the Village Movement for seniors. This has been adopted in other parts of the world to tremendous success. Neighborhood organizations are formed and homeowners pay yearly dues to hire a small staff that helps with everything from in-home help, to shopping for the elderly to organizing social activities. Such a plan in the South Bay would be just what BCHD should coordinate. It would help the elderly maintain connections they’ve made over a lifetime in their own neighborhoods, and still receive services, without having to move into assisted living.

The reduction in size of the Beach Cities Health District’s Health Campus from 420 units to 220 is still outside of the public intent of what is allowed on the site, which is zoned P-CF (Public-Community Facility) (“BCHD Healthy Campus reduces footprint, 200 fewer units,” ER June 18, 2020). What in the first version looked like the Mothership from the 1970s movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” remains in the new plan, but tilted on its side — six stories high, sticking up like an architectural middle finger to the surrounding residential neighborhoods. This proposal should be on an RH zone–residential high density. While the folks at BCHD are marching forward with their Draft EIR believing their proposal is allowed outright on this site, it is not. RCFEs (Residential Care Facility for the Elderly) are not allowed without the Redondo Beach City Council and the Redondo Beach Planning Commission’s approval. This is why it’s important that we let our Redondo representatives know why they must not approve this proposal. Since it’s impacting Torrance neighborhoods too, Torrance residents should contact their representatives, and insist they work with Redondo reps. 

Lara Duke

Redondo Beach