Brown Signed Assemblyman Obernolte’s Bill

Assembly Bill 232 preserves healthcare access

for residents in Tehachapi, California

 

 Jay ​Obernole is a business owner of Farsight Studios in Big Bear Lake, California 

 

Sacramento, California___  Wednesday October 7th, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 232 authored by  Assemblyman Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia), which would allow the only Critical Access Hospital in the City of Tehachapi to reinstate its seismic safety extension application and remain open. 


“AB 232 solves a critical and time-sensitive problem for the City of Tehachapi,” Assemblyman Obernolte said. “It will give that hospital an extension to comply with the seismic mandate, until they can move into their new facility, which will preserve health care access for this community.”

California law requires all hospitals to seismically retrofit their hospital buildings by specified deadlines. To meet this seismic mandate, some California hospitals have chosen to retrofit existing hospital buildings, while others have found it more feasible to build entirely new hospitals.

Tehachapi Valley District Hospital chose to build a brand new facility to comply with the state’s seismic mandate. The new hospital was slated to open before the end of the year, but due to construction delays, it is now not expected to be completed until sometime next year. Unfortunately, the hospital had not submitted an application for a seismic safety extension and, therefore, without this legislation would not be able to continue to operate its existing hospital buildings beyond January 1, 2016.

NOTE: This is the sixth Bill Assemblyman Obernolte, of the 33rd Assembly District, has had signed by the Governor this Legislative Session.