Notice of Public Protest Hearing

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission that the Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, at or after 2:00 p.m., in the Sonoma County Administration Building, 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A, Santa Rosa, California. 

The purpose of the hearing is for the Commission to receive written protests filed against the following item:

File No. 2019-01: Palm Drive Health Care District Detachment No. 19-01 (Bodega Bay)

The proposal was initiated by petition of registered voters residing within the boundary of the Bodega Bay Fire Protection District. The Bodega Bay Fire Protection District is not a party to the action; its boundary was used to facilitate mapping of the detachment area. A map of the detachment area is available on the Sonoma LAFCO website: www.sonomalafco.org.

The reasons for the detachment as submitted by the petitioners include: ongoing poor management of the Palm Drive Health Care District (District) and the hospital in the District; continued fiscal failures of the hospital, leading to increasing District debt, and closure of the hospital’s emergency room.

The Commission approved the reorganization on May 1, 2019, by Resolution No.2706, which sets forth a full and complete description and the terms and conditions of the Commission’s approval. The Commission found the proposal exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the State California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines.

How to File a Protest

Any registered voter or owner of land within the detachment area may file an official protest. All protests must be made in writing and must be received during the official protest period, which begins as of the date of this notice and ends on July 3, 2019, at the close of the protest hearing.

Protests submitted by a registered voter must be signed, dated, and include the name of the voter and the voter’s residence address. Protests submitted by a landowner must be signed, dated, and include the name of the landowner, the street address of the land owned within the detachment area, and the Assessor’s Parcel Number or other description to identify the location of the land.

If you are both a registered voter and landowner within the detachment area, you may file both types of protests. Protests are counted in the two categories for the purposes of evaluation. It is not necessary to state a reason for filing a protest. Anyone who has filed a protest may withdraw it at any time before the end of the July 3, 2019, hearing. If sufficient protests are filed within the protest period, confirmation of the detachment may be placed before registered voters through an election, or the detachment may be terminated.

Protest forms can be accessed on the Sonoma LAFCO website, www.sonomalafco.org or at the LAFCO office. Use of a protest form is not required, but a protest must meet all of the requirements described in this notice.

Written protests can be mailed to Sonoma LAFCO, 111 Santa Rosa Avenue, Suite 240, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, or delivered in person during business hours Monday through Thursday. Protests can also be submitted at the protest hearing. Protests cannot be accepted by fax or email. Any protest that does not meet the conditions stated in this notice will be considered invalid.

Copies of all related documents are on file and may be reviewed at the office of the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission. For questions, call Sonoma LAFCO: (707) 565-2577.

  By: Mark Bramfitt, Executive Officer                                      Date: May 8, 2019

For more information

Protest Form