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Residents and supervisors press county for stronger oversight of Hazel Hawkins Hospital
Summary
Public commenters and supervisors urged the Board of Supervisors to press for greater transparency and LAFCO review of Hazel Hawkins Hospital’s finances and recent board decisions, citing a reported $538 million in hospital revenue since mid‑2021 and disputed capital spending.
Public commenters urged the San Benito County Board of Supervisors on March 11 to step up oversight of Hazel Hawkins Hospital after concerns about recent district board decisions and capital spending.
"Since July of 2021 this hospital has billed and collected $538,000,000 in revenue," resident Robert Nowski told the board during public comment, adding he and advocacy groups are preparing a written timeline of how the hospital arrived at its current condition.
The concern centers on recent expenditures and a lack of transparent checks on the hospital district board. Nowski said the hospital district moved to spend roughly $8,300,000 on capital improvements that, in his view, were not reflected in fair market valuations discussed at a January district meeting. Another public commenter urged supervisors to use their seats on LAFCO — the Local Agency Formation Commission — to push for a municipal services review of the hospital district and to treat the facility as countywide infrastructure.
Supervisor discussion and public remarks focused on what tools the county has: LAFCO authority to initiate municipal services reviews; requests to state legislators; and the option of seeking additional reporting from the hospital or the district. One public commenter asked the board to prioritize getting the hospital on a LAFCO municipal service review to make internal operations transparent to countywide taxpayers.
Board members did not take formal action on the hospital during this meeting, but members acknowledged the issue and reiterated the need for staff to pursue avenues for information. A number of supervisors signaled willingness to press the hospital district and LAFCO for reviews and to coordinate with state legislative offices. No binding county control over the hospital district was created at the meeting.
The speakers who raised concerns said they will continue to provide written materials to the board and pursue legislative outreach. The board did not adopt any new ordinances or motions specifically changing the hospital’s governance at this meeting.
Looking ahead, public commenters asked supervisors to: press the hospital district for regular, itemized financial reports; use LAFCO to request a municipal services review of the Hazel Hawkins Hospital District; and pursue meetings with state legislative staff about policy options. Supervisors said staff would follow up and that the topic would remain on the board’s radar.
No formal vote or binding directive specific to Hazel Hawkins Hospital was recorded in the minutes for March 11; the matter remains a subject of continuing public comment and staff follow up.
