8/26/21
BCHD is planning to build a privately owned residential facility for the elderly on public land in Redondo Beach. In the process, the construction will significantly disrupt the lives of residents for many years. When it is built, apartments will cost $12,000 per month in rent, a price higher than many residents in Redondo can afford. The purpose of this development, according to BCHD, is to bring additional revenue into the district in order to continue providing services for the community. An important question for RB residents is this: Could there be an alternate solution for obtaining needed revenue?
During the 2019-2020 budget year BCHD received $14.3 million dollars in revenue and spent $2.2 on the community: $1.1 million on grants/contracts plus $1.1 million to subsidize their case management and fitness centers. Let’s compare BCHD’s spending with Sequoia Health Care District, a similar district to BCHD. Their revenue in 2019-2020 was $17 million yet Sequoia spent $10 million on their community: $5.7 million on grants plus an additional $4.4 million on special programs such as their “School Health Program.” Sequoia Health Care District gives 58% of its revenue to the community while BCHD only gives 15% of its revenue to the community. Sequoia Health Care District’s secret to good stewardship of public funds is to keep their administrative expenses low. Clearly this is the right solution for BCHD’s need for revenue rather than financializing public land for revenue gain and massive construction disruption.
Sheila Lamb
Opmerkingen