Speedy Hearing in Hospital Case Denied

The 2nd District Court of Appeal on Tuesday rejected Ventura County’s request for a speedy hearing on a March 26 countywide referendum that would stop construction of a new outpatient wing at Ventura County Medical Center.

“I’m disappointed, naturally,” Assistant County Counsel Noel Klebaum said. “Things remain as they have been.”

The county filed the request for a speedy appeal after losing a lawsuit last month to disqualify the referendum, sponsored by Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura.

Community Memorial, which is two blocks from the county medical center, contends that the $51-million outpatient wing will be used to compete for private patients.

As a result, the hospital hired professional petitioners to collect more than 40,000 signatures of registered voters to qualify the referendum for the spring ballot.

But county hospital officials have countered that Community Memorial Hospital misled voters who signed the petition.

Officials said the county project is not part of an expansion into the private sector, but a consolidation of existing outpatient clinics located in old and unsafe buildings. They said the move will save the county $1 million a year alone on rent.

Although the county’s request for a speedy appeal hearing was denied, Klebaum said it still has the option of filing a regular appeal. But he said a hearing would probably not be scheduled until after the spring election.

The Board of Supervisors will have to decide whether it chooses to pursue an appeal, Klebaum said. His office will prepare a report on the case to be delivered to the board for consideration in the near future, possibly as early as next week, he said.

Meanwhile, John McDermott, an attorney representing Community Memorial Hospital, said he was pleased, but not surprised, with the decision of the appeals court, which sits in Ventura. He said requests for speedy hearings are rarely granted.

“It’s pretty much what we figured,” he said.