QAB and Kern Valley Sun: Radio keeps me off the air on Measure G

Political product review of QAB and the Kern Valley Sun Newspaper:

I don't know if I told you the story that I decided at the last moment to write an argument against the Kern Valley Healthcare District as I assumed, and correctly, nobody else would do it.

With no time left to fool around, I hopped in my car, and sped down to the Kern County elections office. I made it ten minutes till five.

When I arrived, I saw KVHD CEO, Tim McGlew, and board chairwoman, Victoria Alwin, sitting on a bench chatting as I came racing through. "Hi guys," I said moving quickly past.

The elections department asked me for my typed statement. I didn't have one. The woman said you have only ten minutes to finish and we have to type it in.

I told her, "no problem I know this by heart."

It was a problem as my handwriting is terrible and unreadable by the average human so we did have a few issues, but I scratched out most of my concerns, and they were able to translate my scribble.

So, I wrote the argument AGAINST measure G, allowing that I feel I have information that reflects a hastily written plan, or plans to make plans which does not need to happen. At the time I was not aware that we have had the opportunity to fight or be nice and negotiate with Cal Mtg. the creditor of our 22 year debt problem or I would have added it.

Then the hospital wrote an argument FOR the measure and I was notified and wrote a rebuttal some of you who read the sample ballots may have seen. This time, okay, I still had no time and quickly scribbled another argument, this time putting some of the burden on the people who could have helped this hospital, even made promises, but are nowhere to be found. (See Jerry Brown story)

A few weeks later the Kern Valley Sun newspaper or actually their website, ran the argument FOR but said they had both arguments.

I didn't complain, I figured they wouldn't play fair, they haven't so far. But when the ballots began arriving in mailboxes across the healthcare district, suddenly at least one of my arguments was posted.

The KVHD board candidates
I recieved several emails regarding the Kern Valley Sun's coverage of the hospital, the election, the bond measure, not printing comments, allowing one candidate to write in while stopping another.


John Blythe, who will get a little extra blog time as he was contacted less than an hour for deadline on his candidate statement and answers to the questions.





When I arranged my candidate forum with questions, I notified all the potential board members and ended up allowing a week for them to ponder their image and ideas.

The reason was that I was asked by another candidate, David Derr, to "be fair" and allow extra time. You know it's not really that difficult to be fair. Why Blythe was slighted in this manner only reflects on the Sun, not the candidate.

First comes the newspaper next comes the radio broadcast

There are laws called election codes which regulate the healthcare districts use of company property or company time. Other types of restrictions include filling out ballots or handing in ballots to the hospital or those employed there. Also, the administrators and board can inform but not suggest to their employees that they themselves vote for it.

The reason I told you the story about the "argument against" I filed with the elections department was a prelude to the radio show last week where KVHD board member, Bob Jamison is employed and known to use the radio for hospital issues...himself.

I contacted all parties and asked as the "argument against" that I join the discussion and answer questions for the opposition, which wasn't who were announcing many things that night.

Disuaded by Marsha Smith, Publisher of the KV Sun, and editor, Cathy Perfect, I went to the station anyway and I told them I would be there.

I arrived with my camera, but the doors were locked and a woman from CARE ambulance, a somewhat imbalance as the radio station and ambulance company are owned by Anthony Bohn and Jamison is a board member/employee.



Since I was in Kernville I spent a little time passing out business cards and talking to people about Measure G. I did hear the program which included threats of closure, reduction of services, and I myself, heard a caller refer to anyone in opposition simply "cheap."






As KVHD CFO, Chet Beedle painted a bleak picture of the loss of the bond, with CEO, Tim Mcglew chiming in. I felt threatened by them myself, they pulled out all the rabbits out of their hats.

But was it truth? No.

Bankruptcy, Beedle answered, is very risky and horrible things could happen like people losing their jobs, the biggest empolyer closing its doors.

According to an attorney in this particular field, complex bankruptcies, describes the possible outcome as this:

the purpose of filing any reorganization case, such as chapter 11 or chapter 9, is to enable the company or district that files to "reorganize", meaning emerge with a more manageable debt structure and a new economic future. While filing a reorganization case is not a guarantee of successfully emerging, filing is not a guarantee of a shut down either. United Airlines and Edwards Cinemas, and Orange County, are examples, among countless examples, of companies and a municipal entity that filed and emerged successfully, showing that it certainly can happen and indeed, happens all the time. A hospital district in the Palm Springs area did the same thing."

Digging for truth

To understand this one must ask for PROOF and that is a must at KVHD with it's administrators and certain board members. Now you have the right and it is necessary.

At the October board meeting Chet Beedle was asked by an audience member about the new, potential, telepsychiatry in the skilled nursing facility. That person asked Beedle if the state program called Medi-cal would reimburse the costs.

Beedle answered, "yes."

According to the Department of Healthcare Services, they do not promote this type of treatment and they will NOT reimburse for the consultation.

That is why I wanted to be there to provide other information or possibly encourage a more open discussion.

Neither the KV Sun or QAB would allow me on the air with the CEO and CFO. The Sun used a picture of McGlew and Beedle on the front page.

But I got a chance to see our CEO's new car

The recent raise, which most likely will be retracted due to a review by the Kern County Grand Jury, to CEO Tim McGlew, has not set well with many people I have spoken with of late.

A strange thing happened on the way to the "Town Hall Meeting"

I arrived late for the candidate forum created and promoted by Susan Barr of the Kern Valley Sun. As I was pulling around back of the senior center, out came the CEO.

We saw each other and I for some reason looked over to see what kind of car he was driving. He saw me do it, and for a big man, he sure can run.

I pulled quickly into a parking space and grabbed for my camera, but he was so agile he was in the car screeching around me and half way to the driveway before I could get my camera pointed and focused.

He was gone.

But then I got another look at the car when I arrived at QAB for the radio show explaining the necessity for Measure G, the general obligation bond.

I really didn't like what I saw...take a look:





I probably didn't have to blur out his license plate as I'm sure he's the only Jaguar driver parked at KVHD. It's a nice car, he does have good taste. A convertible as well.


Glad we could help fulfill your fantasy Mr. McGlew...but it's ridiculous to think the hospital board voted a raise on the very same night they asked the community to raise their property taxes to keep them out of debt or build an ER or whatever this is about. Well, your cat's out of the bag...


Read the Measure G voter's guide a few posts ago...remember tomorrow is election day, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010. "God Bless America" (so politically incorrect I know)

What do Cal Water and the Kern Valley Healthcare District have in common: your money

Cal Water and KVHD

I was just perusing the comments and published one that had a very good point regarding the rate increases obtained by Cal Water over the last five years.

The point of the comment was that the state, Public Utilities Commission, or PUC, after much public input decided that we, meaning the public, had to absorb the costs to make our water "safe."

The writer of the comment made the point that after several increases, the water is not any better than it was before. This person, and most of us who have to use this water, think it tastes like a "sewer."

But over the last four years, we have put out more money to use this water, but it's quality did not increase, just the cost. Maybe there is less uranium, fluoride, arsenic and chlorine, though I think that is speculation, however, it tastes and feels like the same water that makes my hair look like I sprayed it with AuqaNet hairspray, sticky and brittle.

I not only don't drink it, I don't give it to my animals either. www.krvpetcorner.blogspot.com/

As a citizen of the valley, I attended two of the meetings regarding this issue. Most people did not want to talk they wanted to yell.

One point I made was the fire hazard situation. People cannot afford to pay for the extra water costs and continue to try and grow fruit trees, lawns, vegetable gardens without shorting themselves.

So, much like when gas prices rose and put a grip on us all, people curtailed their out of town trips.

Water goes up and the plants get thirsty. Thirsty plants and trees are dry and fire prone, more likely to quickly spread to a structure.

This community is a fire area, but nobody took that into consideration when they allowed Cal Water to up the price of it's mediocre product

Cal Water representatives said at the first meeting when they announced their company stocks were up but they need us to pay the extra because the government lowered the levels of arsenic allowed in drinking water, and it was going to cost a lot of money to create a better filtration system.

How sad. Well, we're now paying, and it's the same old water.

The Kern Valley Healthcare District is now in cahoots with the state trying to drag more money out of us here in "high price, no service" valley, to save them from...themselves probably.

They have been in trouble for years, and now with emails proving the situation to be both a problem with our hospital finances and the state, they want the community to bail them out.

But, like Cal Water, they made sure their stockholders were secure, much like we made sure our hospital CEO, got a raise, and then promised raises for the employees "sometime" this year.

If they can barely make payroll, are being sued by many, quickly threw together architectural plans, then how can they say they can give a raise? So many people have complained to me about the raise and the survey, that the bond measure is lost in the other issues.

Unfortunately, the reasoning given at the last KVHD board meeting by the chairwoman of the
board for this raise, was quite odd. She basically told us all that since the finance manager, Chet Beedle, had overpaid companies such as Sycamore and Tracy Brown, as well as the massive amount of registry nurses, that our new CEO should get the same...

Same what? Overpayment?

Now, at least the state office came up with an idea to help seniors and low income residents by creating a crafty plan to pass along the cost to other Cal Water customers outside the valley, thereby allowing for a reduction of $20 to those hit the hardest by the increases.

The hospital wants to raise property taxes (next we will be discussing the cost of these taxes, as Exhibit A, notes what I tried to get an answer to at the last meeting, that these are ESTIMATES, yes, that's right they didn't want to answer) but it has not allowed enough time and input to consider the ramifications.

There is no hardship relief on the KVHD (Measure "G" for "Gee, we forgot to plan this out") ballot and the state cut a program last year that allowed senior and disabled homeowners to get help paying property taxes.

So, seniors and disabled will have no alternatives if this hastily planned GOB comes through.

But you need to know this too, this is only the first bond. Oh, did they forget to tell you, well, I'll be talking about it soon, as it is on video.

22.7 million dollars also could potentially build a "new hospital" maybe in Lake Isabella. That doesn't mean we would have to get rid of the old one. Keep the nursing center open and use the rest of the space for administration or other things. Then take your 22 million and build a structure with a brand new ER, small acute care, out patient surgery center, specialist offices, or any of the various items NEEDED to be licensed as a hospital.

These are just some of the ideas that were not considered as the hospital has apparently all the information it needs. We the people of the valley have been treated like interlopers rather than voters whose taxes already go to support the hospital.

Point: Will throwing money at the hospital make it taste any better? Or will you still be going to Bakersfield and Ridgecrest to get the healthcare that doesn't cloud up when you pour it in a glass?