The Coast News INLAND EDITION
.com ESCONDIDO, SAN MARCOS, VISTA
VOL. 6, N0. 17
AUG. 20, 2021
Suit challenges Palomar Health provider switch
Vaccine-or-test effort sparks ‘lively debate’
By City News Service
By City News Service
ESCONDIDO — A citizens group that alleges the Palomar Health District violated California’s open meeting law when it awarded contracts to a new emergency care provider filed a lawsuit Aug. 13 against the health care district and its board of directors. Citizens to Save Palomar Health alleges the health care district violated the Brown Act when it awarded key emergency, hospitalist and intensivist contracts to Emergent Medical Associates and its sister company Benchmark earlier this year for staffing at Palomar’s hospitals in Escondido and Poway. The agreement replaces the one Palomar Health held with Vituity Healthcare & Medical Staffing Services, which was in place for more than 40 years for emergency doctors. The plaintiffs, who seek to void the health care service agreements with EMA and Benchmark, allege the vote to approve them happened without proper notice to the public during a special mid-June closed session meeting. “The vote to approve the services contract was a culmination of a secretive backroom process that excluded the public and certain board members, excluded/disregarded the opinions and recommendations of Palomar Medical Staff, and failed to provide the public with the most basic notice,” according to the lawsuit filed Aug. 13 in San Diego Superior Court. A Palomar Health spokesperson declined comment, saying the district does not comment on pending litigation. In a June statement announcing the agreement, Palomar Health President and CEO Diane Hansen said EMA was selected “through a competitive process because they are most aligned with Palomar TURN TO PALOMAR ON 18
wanted chargers, and I said, ‘Absolutely.’” In Carlsbad, the city is preparing to open its own supercharging station with Tesla, with 16 slated to come online at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets on Paseo Del Norte. Carlsbad has another
REGION — At least 120 people addressed the San Diego County Board of Supervisors during a contentious 4 1/2-hour public hearing Tuesday night, Aug. 17, after county leaders and public health officials this week recommended that all employers begin requiring COVID-19 vaccines for their employees or require weekly testing for the virus. The county has already instituted such a policy for its employees. County employees unwilling or unable to receive the vaccine will be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing and are required to wear masks while indoors, according to the county officials. At various times during the meeting, board Chair Nathan Fletcher reminded people not to be disruptive. “We have a lot of folks who want to be heard today, and we want you to be heard,” Fletcher said. “But you don’t have the right to interrupt the comments of other individuals.” As they had in June, the vast majority of the speakers took the board to task over policies such as mask and vaccine mandates and said they would remember those during the next election. Many said a mask mandate was too hard on school
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MAYOR REBECCA JONES christened the city’s first Tesla supercharging station with her own Tesla on Aug. 17 at the Creekside Marketplace on San Marcos Boulevard near state Route 78. Photo by Steve Puterski
SAN MARCOS, SUPERCHARGED
Fastest Tesla station in North County seen as economic driver By Steve Puterski
SAN MARCOS — For the past year, Mayor Rebecca Jones and electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla have been setting the stage to install the company’s fastest supercharging station. On Aug. 17, Jones was the first to plug in her Tesla at the city’s, and North County’s, first installation
of the fastest Tesla supercharging station, at the Creekside Marketplace on San Marcos Boulevard and State Route 78. Jones said the station will be a driver for the city’s economy, marketplace, electric vehicles and infrastructure for future clean energy projects. The station has at
least 20 chargers, up to 250 kilowatts, and can reach a full charge in 20 minutes. The station is open 24 hours. “Tesla chargers are typically economic drivers,” Jones said. “When I first started talking to Tesla and found out they were looking at San Marcos, they asked me if we
Officials tout climate priorities in $1 trillion infrastructure bill
LOOKING FOR ART? The second phase of the Esco Alley Art project was unveiled on Saturday, Aug. 14, in downtown Escondido. The mural project features work by local artists, including “Rise and Shine,” right, by Carrie Foster.
By Steve Puterski
REGION — A sweeping, and bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure was passed by the U.S. Senate last week and is headed to the House of Representatives. While a House vote is not expected until Aug. 23, per media reports, White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and U.S. Reps. Mike Levin (D-49) and Scott Peters (D-52) toured San Di-
STORY ON PAGE 11 Photo via Esco Alley Art
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ego County on Aug. 17 touting the bill and efforts to combat the climate crisis. The bill has been pushed by President Joe Biden as critical to the future of the country. The tour ended at San Diego Gas & Electric’s headquarters where the three, along with SDG&E CEO Caroline Winn, spoke about the utility’s
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