(a) Pursuant to this chapter, the board of supervisors may establish, subject to the limitations of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), the Central Coast Hospital Authority, which shall, for all purposes, be a public entity separate and apart from the county and any other public entity. The authority established pursuant to this chapter shall file the statement required by Section 53051 of the Government Code, and shall be considered a public entity for purposes of Division 3.6 (commencing with Section 810) of Title 1 of the Government Code.
(b) (1) The purpose of the authority shall be to do all of the following:
(A) Provide management, administration, and other controls, consistent with this chapter, for the medical center to continue to serve as a designated public hospital and ensure the viability of the health care safety net in the county in a manner consistent with the county’s requirements under Section 17000 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(B) Provide management, administration, and other controls for the continued operation of one or more other health care facilities that may be affiliated or consolidated with the medical center pursuant to this chapter.
(2) Subject to the requirements of this chapter, the authority shall be charged with the management, administration, and control of the medical center, other health care facilities, and related services and facilities.
(c) (1) Except as specifically set forth in this chapter, the authority shall not be established, transact business, exercise powers, or undertake duties and responsibilities pursuant to this chapter until an agreement is reached to affiliate or consolidate the medical center with at least one other health care facility as set forth in this subdivision. In order for the authority to be established, transact any business, exercise its powers, or undertake its duties and responsibilities, the board of supervisors and at least one governing board shall reach agreement, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the parties, regarding the affiliation or consolidation. This agreement may include, but is not limited to, a transfer of the following:
(A) Real and personal property, and assets and liabilities from the county and the other health care facility to the authority.
(B) Employees from the county and the other health care facility to the authority.
(C) Maintenance, operation, and management or ownership of the medical center, in accordance with Section 14000.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(D) Maintenance, operation, and management or ownership of the other health care facility.
(E) Other matters that the board of supervisors and the governing board deem necessary or appropriate.
(2) If the board of supervisors and the governing board reach agreement on the matters set forth in this subdivision, the terms and conditions of the agreement shall be binding upon the authority. After the agreement is reached, the board of supervisors shall adopt an ordinance to establish the authority and authorize the authority to exercise the powers and duties pursuant to this chapter, and the board of supervisors and the governing board shall appoint a board of trustees as set forth in Section 101659. The agreement set forth in this section may be amended from time to time upon the mutual consent of the authority and the governing board or the board of supervisors, or both, as appropriate.
(3) (A) The agreement shall provide that upon the effective date of the establishment ordinance described in paragraph (2), the authority shall do all of the following:
(i) Take title to all assets associated with the medical center, including, but not limited to, all real and personal property, funded pension assets, and accounts receivable.
(ii) Assume, or immediately extinguish, defease, or satisfy, all obligations and liabilities directly or indirectly associated with the medical center, including, but not limited to, related or associated debt, accounts payable, accrued liabilities, unfunded pension liabilities, or financial or contractual obligations of any kind.
(iii) Take any other actions necessary so that the county has no continuing financial obligation or responsibility with respect to the authority or its operations.
(B) A contract between the authority and the Public Employees’ Retirement System shall be a separate contract and not a joint contract with the county.
(C) The authority’s funds shall not remain or be kept on deposit with the county, or otherwise be in the custody or control of the county, and the authority shall not be permitted to deposit funds with the county, including within the county’s treasury investment pool.
(D) The contractual provisions described in this paragraph are mandatory.
(d) An agreement concerning the transfer of personnel shall include a transition plan that requires all the following:
(1) Ongoing communication to employees and recognized employee organizations regarding the impact of the transition on existing medical center and other health care facility employees and employee classifications.
(2) Meeting and conferring by the county and the other health care facility with affected employee bargaining units on both of the following issues:
(A) The timeframe for which the transfer of personnel shall occur.
(B) A specified period of time during which employees of the county affected by the establishment of the authority may elect to be considered for appointment to vacant positions, and exercise reinstatement rights, for which they are qualified and eligible. An employee who first elects to remain with the county, but who subsequently seeks employment with the authority within 30 days of this election, shall be subject to the requirements of this article.
(3) Acknowledgment that the authority, to the extent permitted by federal law, shall be bound by the terms of the memoranda of understanding executed between the county and its exclusive employee representatives that are or will be in effect as of the date the county adopts the ordinance pursuant to this article. Subsequent memoranda of understanding shall be subject to approval only by the authority.
(e) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, and whether or not accompanied by a change in licensing, an agreement for the maintenance, operation, and management or ownership of the medical center shall not relieve the county of the ultimate responsibility for indigent care pursuant to Section 14000.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(2) An agreement for the maintenance, operation, and management or ownership of the medical center shall conform to the following requirements:
(A) Shall comply with Section 14000.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(B) May be made upon the terms and conditions that the board of supervisors and governing board may mutually agree, including those terms and conditions found necessary by the board of supervisors to ensure that the transfer of the medical center shall constitute an ongoing benefit to the county and its residents.
(C) Shall provide that the county shall ensure that any applicable requirements of Section 1442.5 are met.
(3) An agreement for the maintenance, operation, and management or ownership of the other health care facility may be made upon the terms and conditions that the board of supervisors and the governing board may mutually agree, including those terms and conditions found necessary by the governing board to ensure that the transfer shall constitute an ongoing benefit to the other health care facility and its constituents.
(f) The authority shall not be subject to the jurisdiction of a local agency formation commission pursuant to the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (Division 3 (commencing with Section 56000) of Title 5 of the Government Code), or any successor statute.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 686, Sec. 1. (AB 276) Effective January 1, 2013.)