Sunshine wrote on Feb 9, 2008 11:35 PM:PPH’s participation in the ad hoc subcommittee’s workshops would means the committee is not 'composed solely of the members' of the City Council as required by the Brown Act exemption. CA Govt Code 54952.

Sunshine wrote on Feb 9, 2008 11:37 PM:Further, the ad hoc subcommittee is a standing committee because it does not have a limited term. The ad hoc subcommittee was not given a specific task to be accomplished in a short time period (e.g., 6 months) defined by a date certain. Thus, the ad hoc subcommittee appears to be a standing committee having continuing subject matter jurisdiction, requiring the workshops with PPH to be open to the public.

Promises Delayed and Way Over Budget wrote on Feb 9, 2008 11:41 PM:Three years ago, PPH said the new hospital would be 'built by 2009'.
www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/07/13/news/top_stories/7_11_147_12_04.txt Now PPH claims it will be finished in 2011. Increased costs have sucked all the funds from the downtown project into the ERTC hospital. The new hospital project schedule slips a day each day!

California Sunshine wrote on Feb 9, 2008 11:44 PM:According to the Brown Act, 'the Legislature finds and declares that the public commissions, boards and councils and the other public agencies in this State exist to aid in the conduct of the people's business. It is the intent of the law that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly. The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.'

Restore Downtown Funding wrote on Feb 9, 2008 11:47 PM:Even if PPH finds a the private developer for the Downtown Medical Village, PPH should restore the $90 million it diverted from the renovation of PMC (Phase II) for covering the cost overruns on the new but shrinking hospital campus in the ERTC. Also, the MOU had 3 phases, not just 1/3 of a phase!

Real Estate Prices Are Falling wrote on Feb 9, 2008 11:50 PM:Soon the PPH will realize that residential real estate in Escondido has fallen 40% in the last year. It fast becoming mathematically impossible for PPH to borrow $500 million while maintaining its promised tax rate. PPH will need to borrow less than $500 million, or if it does borrow $500 million, PPH will need to increase the property tax rate to a level significantly above that promised to taxpayers during the Prop BB campaign.

A Raspberry wrote on Feb 10, 2008 12:06 AM:To Mayor Lori Pfeiler and Councilman Dick Daniels for planning to hold closed-door meetings with Mike Covert and other PPH staff.

Voter, resident ,taxpayer... wrote on Feb 10, 2008 5:05 AM:The bottom line is that we need a reliable facility to house our regional trauma center. This is paramount. The downtown location has served this function. I know as I watch Lifeflight all of the time. PPH has promised to provide a trauma center and a mental health center. I would like to suggest that the old plans be revised to implement the reconstruction of the former plans for the downtown location/trauma center/emergency room and transfer the MOU to the ERTC for the mental health part of the agreement.

Voter wrote on Feb 10, 2008 5:16 AM:The trauma center works in its downtown location. The real eatate being acquired by PPH can accomodate the updated facilities. Build a new tower at the downtown site as per previous plans and save the ERTC holdings for the planned mental health facilities. Escondido is built on a rock so the earthquake issues are not our biggest concern. Build the new urgent facilities downtown and take time to plan the futuristic mental health part at a later date at the ERTC. IMHO.

City Video of PPH Promises Now Gone! wrote on Feb 10, 2008 6:37 AM:The video of the 4 hour City Council meeting held on 2/8/2006 has suddenly disappeared from the City's online video archive. The meeting video was the most publicly accessible record of the promises PPH made to the City of Escondido. Was this the first official act of the Hospital Ad Hoc Subcommittee? The video is GONE! Check it out at this link: escondido.12milesout.com/ClientWebApp/Escondido/Default.aspx

PPH Project Updates wrote on Feb 10, 2008 6:58 AM:The PPH Facilities and Grounds Board Committee will hold its regularly scheduled bimonthly meeting on Monday, 2/11/2008, 12:15 pm, at PPH's district offices. The meeting will include 1-hour of project updates including: Palomar Medical Center West Progress Report, and 456 E. Grand Ave., Planning Update-Progress Report. It will be interesting to see if the Ad Hoc Subcommittee with deign to attend a PUBLIC meeting, and then provide a report on the presented information at the City Council meeting on Wed., 2/13/08.

What Was That Promise PPH Made? wrote on Feb 10, 2008 7:11 AM:The MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between PPH and Escondido is available on the City's website: www.ci.escondido.ca.us/depts/cd/planning/ertc/final-mou.pdf. The MOU is full of loopholes. Paragraph V(D) on pages 9-10 is the best summary of PPH's promises for Phase I. 'The Headquarters shall be relocated to the Downtown Medical Campus upon (1) the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the West Office Building should the West Office Building be developed; or (2) two years from the date the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development has issued a letter certifying final approval for occupancy of an acute care hospital facility at Palomar West, pursuant to Section 7-155 of the California Code of Regulations, Part 1, Title 24, should the West Office Building not be developed.' Thus, PPH does not need to do anything at the Downtown Medical Campus until 2013. Anything PPH does to move its Headquarters to Escondido before 2013 is ahead of schedule, and completely fulfills PPH's 'promises' to the City of Escondido.

To Keep Promises wrote on Feb 10, 2008 7:47 AM: To Keep Promises PPH will need to restore downtown funding! NOT remove or delay it

Double Raspberry wrote on Feb 10, 2008 7:47 AM: To Mayor Lori Pfeiler and Councilman Dick Daniels for planning to hold closed-door meetings with Mike Covert and other PPH staff.

Honest wrote on Feb 10, 2008 7:52 AM: Daniels YES Pfeiler NO..... I believe Pfeiler is in bed with PPH and cares more about next her next election contributions than Escondido

NAYSAYER wrote on Feb 10, 2008 8:11 AM: Why is the North County Times such a “NAYSAYER”????

Neighbor wrote on Feb 10, 2008 8:54 AM:PPH and Mayor Pfeiler have never supported or provided open workshops to the community in the past so why start now. Same old closed-door policy with their own agenda in mind.

Well said wrote on Feb 10, 2008 9:06 AM: To the North County Times Opinion staff "WELL SAID" PPH must keep there Promises

Downtown Medical Village wrote on Feb 10, 2008 9:10 AM: All we want is our Downtown Medical Village as PPH promised us.

To A Raspberry wrote on Feb 10, 2008 9:20 AM: I could not have said it better. PPH and Mayor Pfeiler have never supported or provided open workshops to the community in the past so why start now. Same old closed-door policy with their own agenda in mind.

marilyn wrote on Feb 10, 2008 9:33 AM:Most of the comments posted above lack much in the way of facts. Progress in bringing the business offices back to Escondido from Poway have been started - accounting has been moved, and as soon as there are more buildings available, more will move. PPH has purchased adjacent properties around Palomar East (old Health Center), and is moving various divisions into some of those buildings. Trauma service requires radiology, surgical suites, and other diagnostic services for full care service, and those will be at Palomar West - it will be built in stages, it is being done, and we will be grateful to have this up-to-date health center in our community. Naysayers sound uninformed, paranoid, and angry. Help instead of hinder for this largest public hospital district in the state of California! Building is going on for satellite services, and we will be the center, with supply purchases already providing sales tax revenue for Escondido.

It's About Time wrote on Feb 10, 2008 10:07 AM:It's unfortunate that that PPH chooses to deny and hide it's own FMP figures that show there is only $3 Million allocated for the current PMC campus. PPH CEO covert continues to claim the $93 Million is there. Where? The PPH budgets don't show it. PPH has created it's own worst nightmare by not be truthful with the public that supported Prop BB. Finally this tactic is catching up with them and more and more citizens and business leaders, and now even the North County Times, don't trust PPH. It's about time!

To Marilyn wrote on Feb 10, 2008 10:32 AM:I must disagree with some of your comments. The "Naysayers" are not "uninformed". To the contrary, they are very well informed and have concentrated in most cases on only providing verifiable FACTS. Many times, the facts are provided and it is left for the reader to come to their own conclusions. Often, it is those who blindly follow the PPH administration who are uninformed. They listen to a convincing CEO whose only goal is to build at ERTC at any cost. Covert and his administration frequently misstate or hide facts when it is convenient. This is what makes many "naysayers" angry. Shouldn't it make you angry as well?

To Marilyn wrote on Feb 10, 2008 11:00 AM: Marilyn, Time will tell. But PPH is now 8 months behind schedule. This is a Fact. Please do not be angry when the newspapers and local Citizens brings up the Facts….

blah blah wrote on Feb 10, 2008 11:06 AM:PPH loves to talk but they have nothing new to say and what they have said they can no longer do. The money tree is bare. They cannot even build a proper new hospital or maintain the existing facility. All the king's horses and all the king's men can't put humpty dumpty together again. More meetings would be just for show.

FRED wrote on Feb 10, 2008 11:31 AM:Let us not try and blame the problems of Downtown on the Hospital. The Downtown should be torn down and rebuilt to moder day needs. Who is going to move into large buildings like the old furniture store, JC Penny or others like it. We should be building stores with apartments over them. This would bring pedestrians to Grand Ave in the evening and shoppers to Restauarants.

All talk no action wrote on Feb 10, 2008 12:04 PM: NC Times has found out that PPH is all talk no action

Promises kept wrote on Feb 10, 2008 12:18 PM: Promises kept????? "NO" PPH has not

PPH wrote on Feb 10, 2008 1:14 PM: PPH must come clean with the Taxpayers

Joseph from Escondido wrote on Feb 10, 2008 2:00 PM:The more I read the more I regret that we passed Prop BB. I will be paying taxes for the rest of my life for bonds that allowed PPH to greatly degrade the quality of my community. Shame, shame on you, PPH, for what you are doing. You are either incompetent or deceitful. I don't know which is worse.

To Marilyn wrote on Feb 10, 2008 2:15 PM:Where did PPH accounting move to? Downtown or adjacent to the ERTC? What is the old Health Center? The building at the corner of Valley Boulevard and Grand?

A Lifetime Of PPH Taxes wrote on Feb 10, 2008 2:19 PM:Joseph has it right! A person will need to live to the year 2050 to see the end of the property taxed required to payoff the Prop BB bonds. Pretty certain that no one on the PPH Board or Executive Staff intends to see that day.

Realist wrote on Feb 10, 2008 4:21 PM:No one should pay too much attention to the NCTImes on this issue. They own property in downtown Escondido and care more about their property values than what is good for the district and its employees.

Way Too Early wrote on Feb 10, 2008 7:48 PM:Actual changes, other than to buildings being bought by PPH are not going to happen until PMC can transfer its functions to the new hospital. So what is all this "suspicion" about?????? Suspicion is reasonable after something doesn't happen when it is suppose to. Hello!!! PPH is ahead of time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Order wrote on Feb 10, 2008 11:34 PM:Tommy said it would be like this!

To Way Too Early wrote on Feb 10, 2008 11:42 PM:The City Council was lead to believe that PPH was gung ho on building a 50,000 square foot Class A office building next to PMC. That plan made no sense. Next, PPH claimed it was going to spend $93 million to renovation PMC. Most of that money has evaporated into projected ERTC cost overruns. Hence, the suspicion.

Remember The PPH Promises wrote on Feb 10, 2008 11:52 PM:made to the community on July 28, 2005: www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/07/29/news/inland/23_08_347_28_05.txt. 'Palomar Pomerado Health District on Thursday rolled out ambitious makeover plans for its downtown hospital that officials said would help meet growing health care needs and anchor the redevelopment of Escondido's center. Against a backdrop of artist's renderings depicting glassy facades and lush public plazas, Palomar Pomerado's chief executive officer, Michael Covert, and a team of architects walked an audience of about 75 community members through the district's plans for the Palomar Medical Center on Valley Parkway.' 'Palomar Pomerado plans to spend $73 million on the makeover, money that will come out of Proposition BB.' 'An Escondido dentist with offices east of the hospital, said the workshop had nothing to do with working with the community. It was nothing but a (public relations) move to tell us their vision and not ask what our vision is. It's our hospital. We're paying for it.'

Environmental Impact wrote on Feb 10, 2008 11:54 PM:When will PPH start an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) for its Downtown Medical Village project?

Personal Attacks To Begin? wrote on Feb 10, 2008 11:57 PM:The PPH public relations staff will be back on the job tomorrow morning. Will the negative comments and personal attacks begin in the morning against Escondido's highly informed citizens concerned about the downtown hospital?

Local wrote on Feb 11, 2008 1:26 AM:Why isn't the oversight committee that was guaranteed with BB giving regular updates to the taxpayers and city council? They could alleviate some of the suspicion if they kept us informed of all of the progress. Where IS the oversight committee? They could reassure us the our tax money is being spent wisely and that everything is moving along according to plan. Is this too much to ask?

Jim wrote on Feb 11, 2008 6:31 AM:“Escondido business and civic leaders” as well as the NC Times editorial board should not be shocked that PPH will not fulfill its promises regarding the downtown. Those much maligned “naysayers” were predicting this inevitable outcome from the beginning based on a cursory analysis of the numbers. All this complaining is too little and too late. Besides, PPH is not listening. They have already taken all that Escondido can give, including the all important and imprudent ERTC zoning change granted by the City Council. As Bob Dylan sang, “Napoleon in rags calls you.....you can’t refuse.”

Very Expensive Hospital wrote on Feb 11, 2008 6:57 AM:The new hospital in the ERTC is proving to be very expensive to build. I assume that the patients will need to pay a higher rate at the new hospital because it was so expensive to build. The hospital of the future may be very costly to patients.

Oversight Committee wrote on Feb 11, 2008 7:06 AM:As set up by the PPH Board, the Prop BB Oversight Committee is tasked with making sure Prop BB funds are spent on Prop BB purposes. They have no authority to 'reassure us that our tax money is being spent wisely and that everything is moving along according to plan.' The Committee received a 30 minute update at its last meeting on 12/19/2007 at PPH's new offices on Enterprise Street near the ERTC. The next meeting is schedule for 9/23/08 at 3 pm. Mark your calendar. Who here believes the Oversight Committee should meet more often?

hometown wrote on Feb 11, 2008 11:21 AM:Verrry interrrestink! Responding to an earlier blog why is the video from 2/08/06 not on the City of Escondido website? Curious. If you look at the minutes there were many, many speakers that evening. How do we get the City to put back the video or is it too late now that it is probably an edited version.

Local wrote on Feb 11, 2008 11:37 AM:Thanks for the details. Given your description, the duties of the OC are so vague that it hardly matters if they meet at all. I've seen some of what PPH considers to be BB purposes. What a joke!

No Oversight? wrote on Feb 11, 2008 4:22 PM:The oversight committee should meet more often.