Supervisors Extend Talks on Privatizing Medical Center

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to extend negotiations over privatizing its Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center by 120 days after questions were raised about whether the private hospital system that wants to take it over was getting too good a deal.

The supervisors approved the concept of privatizing the long-term rehabilitation center in Downey more than a year ago, and negotiations have been underway with the Catholic Healthcare West organization for eight months.

But an independent auditing firm and some county officials have said the privatization, or some form of a public-private hospital, would cause the county to lose hundreds of unionized jobs while only saving as little as $3 million a year--far less than originally projected.