Section 127240 Of Chapter 1. Health Planning From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 107. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1.
127240
. (a) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), (c), (d), (e), or (f)
of Section 127235, if the office orders a hearing on an application,
the applicant may request an informal hearing of the matter,
described in this section, in lieu of, and in the alternative to, the
formal procedures described in subdivisions (b), (c), (d), (e), and
(f) of Section 127235.
(b) If an applicant requests an informal hearing and the office
concurs with the request, the office shall proceed as follows:
(1) Within five calendar days after receipt of the request for an
informal public hearing, the office shall order the informal public
hearing by the service of a copy of the order on the applicant. The
order shall include the staff report and recommendations prepared by
the staff of the office. Except as otherwise agreed by the applicant
and the office, the informal public hearing shall commence within 20
days of the date of the order. Upon the scheduling of the hearing,
the office shall promptly serve notice of the date, location, and
time of the informal public hearing upon the applicant. The office
shall also publish a notice of the date, location, and time of the
informal public hearing in at least one newspaper of general
circulation in the health service area served by the applicant. The
notice shall also include the name and address of the applicant, the
nature of the proposed project, and other information deemed relevant
by the office.
(2) The informal public hearing shall not be conducted in
accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1
of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The informal public
hearing shall be conducted by an employee of the office designated by
the office director. The person conducting the informal public
hearing may exercise all powers relating to the conduct of the
hearing, including the power to reasonably limit the length of oral
presentations by any person who has been allowed to make a statement.
The informal public hearing shall be conducted as follows:
(A) The applicant shall be given an opportunity to present the
merits of the project and to address the issues raised by the staff
report and recommendations.
(B) The office staff shall be given an opportunity to present
their analysis of the project.
(C) Other interested persons shall be given an opportunity to
present written or oral statements.
(D) The person conducting the informal public hearing may question
any person making a written or oral statement and may give the
applicant and office staff an opportunity to question any person who
has made a written or oral statement.
(E) The applicant and staff shall be given an opportunity to make
closing statements.
(F) The office shall make an audio or video recording of the
hearing, and copies of the recording shall be made available at cost
upon reasonable notice. However, the applicant shall have a right to
bring a certified shorthand reporter to be used in place of the audio
or video recording, provided that he or she provides the office with
a copy of the transcript.
(c) The informal public hearing shall conclude within 10 calendar
days after commencement of the hearing unless one of the following
occurs:
(1) The applicant agrees to extend the time for conclusion of the
hearing.
(2) The hearing is ongoing and continuing during consecutive
business days, in which case it shall be concluded as soon as
reasonably practicable thereafter.
(d) Within 10 days after the conclusion of the informal public
hearing, the person conducting the hearing shall render a proposed
decision supported by findings of fact, based solely upon the record
of the hearing. The proposed decision shall be served upon the
applicant and the office staff.
(e) The director shall make a final decision on an application
within 10 calendar days after issuance of the proposed decision. The
decisions shall either approve the application, approve it with
modifications, reject it, or approve it with conditions mutually
agreed upon by the applicant and the office. The failure of any
applicant to fulfill the conditions under which the certificate of
need was granted shall constitute grounds for revocation of the
certificate of need.
(f) Notice of the substance of the office's decisions shall be
published in a newspaper of general circulation within the health
service area served by the applicant, within 10 calendar days
following the decision.
(g) Whether or not an informal hearing is granted shall be at the
discretion of the office.