Senator Durazo raised concerns regarding the bill pitting the legislature against Pittsburg/Bay Point community
Pittsburg, Calif., (July 8, 2021) - Today, the California State Senate Governance and Finance Committee voted against further passage of AB 903. In doing so, the bill failed.
Introduced by Assembly member Jim Frazier (D-Oakley), AB 903 would have circumvented the already established electoral process that would allow the residents living within the boundary of the Los Medanos Community Healthcare District to vote on the future of the healthcare district.
“On behalf of our constituents, I would like to thank the Senate Committee on Governance and Finance for recognizing that this bill was not a good government bill, but rather an attempt to disenfranchise our community of our right to vote,” said Lamar Thorpe, Executive Director, Los Medanos Community Health Care District. “I am proud of the work we do on a daily basis to ensure that communities often neglected by Contra Costa County are able to receive critical healthcare services because we have always been their safety-net.”
Strongly opposed by the NAACP, AB 903 was considered by many a road map to circumvent the electoral process. During today’s hearing, Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) raised concerns about the bill as it pitted the Legislature against the residents residing within the Los Medanos Community Health Care District boundaries. Additionally, she further raised concerns regarding the community’s access to the vital services provided by the Los Medanos Community Health Care District.
With AB 903 now dead, the Los Medanos Community Health Care District will continue in the litigation process initiated by Contra Costa County. Having failed on three previous attempts, Contra Costa County filed an appeal to those lost cases. It is anticipated that the legal decision will be made in 2022.
About the Los Medanos Community Healthcare District: Each of California’s Healthcare Districts is governed by a locally elected Board of Trustees who are directly accountable to the communities they serve.
LMCHD has been serving the local community with healthcare needs since 1946. We are located at 2311 Loveridge Road, Pittsburg, CA 94565.
For more information: www.lmchd.org
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