Sacramento, California - AB 2414 authored by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), cleared the Senate Governance and Finance Committee today.  This bill will expand the existing Desert Healthcare District to include the entire Coachella Valley region.

“Today’s hearing takes us one step closer to ensure that the Desert Healthcare District serves our entire region,” said Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia.

AB 2414 will allow expansion of the existing Desert Healthcare District to include the East Coachella Valley region.

• The bill will require the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to file a resolution with LAFCo. The resolution will state that LAFCo will initiate a comprehensive review and make recommendations on the new boundaries. 

• The expanded district will include the cities of Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella and the unincorporated areas of Bermuda Dunes, Mecca, Thermal, Oasis, North Shore and Vista Santa Rosa.

• The bill requires the current board to expand to seven members. Two members will be appointed by the board to fill the vacant positions provided that the two new members are residents of the newly annexed territory. After that, the board will continue to operate as it has in the past. 

• The expansion and funding for the Desert Health Care District will have to be approved by voters in the November 2018 election.

“We are limited by our district boundaries in serving our population in that we now require our grantees to record the zip codes of patients to ensure they live west of Cook Street,” said Desert Health Care Board Member Carole Rogers. “With the expansion of the District, we could offer our residents a full service outpatient clinic as now funded by our District in Desert Hot Springs, a formally a medically underserved area.”

AB 2414 (E. Garcia) – Desert Healthcare District bill cleared the Senate Governance and Finance Committee and now goes to Senate Appropriations.