SAN GABRIEL VALLEY : 2 Proposed Hospital Sites Draw Opposition
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday postponed the selection of a location for a hospital to serve the San Gabriel Valley after a crowd of 600 greeted the top two choices with boos and catcalls.
The supervisors declined to choose between a 30-acre property in the City of Industry and a 34-acre parcel in South El Monte--presented by county health officials as the two best alternatives for a 350-bed hospital.
Officials from Industry and neighboring Whittier said local streets are already overcrowded with students from Rio Hondo College, dump trucks from a nearby landfill and funeral processions from Rose Hills Memorial Park.
Opposition to the South El Monte site was led by vendors from a swap meet, who would be evicted if the hospital took over the grounds of the Starlite Drive-in Theater.
Robert Gates, director of the Department of Health Services, said a decision must be made soon so that financing can be arranged.
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