Supervisors supporting AG in suit over coastside ER closure

Whether to add to the suit by detailing the county’s hopes for a long-awaited resolution was debated by a split county board Tuesday.

The proposed letter by the Board of Supervisors would add to Bonta’s suit and directly state the county wishes for an agreement to add time to the contract for when the emergency department has been closed and acknowledgment that the owners have breached their contractual obligations owed to the county. 

“They’ve been a bad actor, it does not take over a year to repair the ER,” Supervisor Jackie Speier said. “It’s a great cost to residents on the coast and I’m deeply troubled by AHMC’s reluctance to do what they have committed to do.”

AHMC Healthcare purchased Seton Coastside and Seton Medical Center in Daly City in 2020 with the stipulation that the hospitals must stay open for at least 5 ½ years and only close for the minimum amount of time possible if a closure was required. 

The contract required service under Dec. 13, 2025. To this day, it has remained closed since April 1, 2024. 

Supervisors were split on whether to sign a letter to send in support of Bonta’s complaint — David Canepa opposed and Noelia Corzo abstained. 

Canepa said the letter was “the wrong thing to morally do.” He said there is no evidence that AHMC has delayed reopening by its own making, and the letter will only strain the county’s relationship with AHMC. 

“The [attorney general’s] lawsuit is the first of its kind to hold a hospital system accountable for forces of nature like this,” Canepa said. 

The Moss Beach emergency room was closed for damages after the winter storms in 2023-24. When it closed, it was estimated to take up to nine months for repairs. 

Connie Wu, attorney for the AHMC, urged supervisors not to send the letter. 

“The letter alleges the closure was due to circumstances of our own making, and that is simply not true,” Wu said. 

Mueller said he felt it was his obligation as the supervisor representing the coast to advocate on behalf of his constituents. 

“I owe it to my residents on the coast who have been without an emergency room for a year and a half,” Mueller said. “I just want my residents to have the emergency room they were promised.”