Fight Over New County-USC Flares

A nasty game of political chicken between the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Sacramento escalated significantly Tuesday, when the Assembly voted to make state money available to rebuild earthquake-damaged County-USC Medical Center, but only if the county supervisors relent and build a larger hospital.

In a vote pushed by Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles), state Sen. Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) and Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), the lower house voted to provide about $225 million to rebuild the hospital--if the county agrees to build a facility that could be expanded beyond the currently planned 600 beds to 750.

The majority of supervisors, meanwhile, have threatened to build an even smaller hospital if the state money is not forthcoming.

The board is even turning up its nose at an additional carrot dangled by Villaraigosa and Solis, who led a move to provide $40 million for three outpatient clinics in the county--but, again, only if the supervisors build the larger hospital.

“Imagine a county saying no to those resources,” said the speaker, who cited a “tremendous need for health care in Los Angeles.”

The Assembly’s action came at the behest of Los Angeles County’s assertive Latino delegation, which regards the future of County-USC as an issue of pivotal significance to the largely Latino Eastside.

Supervisor Gloria Molina, who failed to convince her four colleagues to support a larger hospital, welcomed the Assembly action, saying a bigger facility is “the only option that protects the county’s fragile safety net.”

But Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who supported the decision to build a smaller hospital, called the bill “irresponsible” and said that, far from providing resources, it would obligate the county to either overspend or cut back on health care.

The whole mess derives from a decision made last fall by four of the five supervisors to rebuild the hospital with just 600 beds rather than the 750 recommended by the county Department of Health Services. Only Molina, whose district includes County-USC, held out for the larger size.

Part of the problem, several sources said at that time, was the sour relationship between some board members and Molina, who has at times refused to compromise on issues important to the others.

Eastside legislators--even some who have sparred with Molina in the past--rallied to the hospital’s defense, holding hearings and threatening to withhold funding if the supervisors insisted on the smaller facility.

The lawmakers enlisted the support of 19 of the 26-member Los Angeles County delegation, and the funding bill passed easily, 55-20.

Three L.A. Democrats abstained--Wally Knox, Carl Washington and Roderick Wright. Those from the county who voted against the bill were Debra Bowen (D-Marina del Rey), Steven Kuykendall (R-Rancho Palos Verdes), Tom McClintock (R-Northridge) and Bob Margett (R-Arcadia).

Tuesday’s action is not the last word on the matter. The bill, which goes to the state Senate today, could still be amended to fund a smaller hospital. And the supervisors could eventually change their minds, especially if the Legislature offers more incentives to do so.

Times staff writer Dan Morain contributed to this story.