#Fresno County Bankruptcy Records California

[richmindlifenews]

Troubled Nursing Home Chain Owner Shlomo Rechnitz Gets New Licenses Just Before State Reforms Take Effect

The state is moving forward with licensing two dozen nursing homes whose primary owner’s companies have a lengthy track record of problems – as uncovered by a CalMatters investigation – despite a new law designed to provide better oversight of the facilities.

The nursing homes in question are owned by Los Angeles businessman Shlomo Rechnitz, who owns dozens of California facilities through a web of companies, including Humboldt County's four primary skilled nursing facilities.

One of his main companies, Brius Healthcare, has been scrutinized for poor quality care and inadequate staffing, according to federal and state inspection reports, plaintiffs’ attorneys and press accounts. By 2015, government regulators decertified or threatened to decertify three of Rechnitz’s companies’ California nursing homes, a rare penalty that strips facilities of crucial Medicare and Medi-Cal funding.

One of those facilities, Wish-I-Ah Healthcare & Wellness Centre near Fresno, was closed following the death of a 75-year-old resident from a blood infection after staff left behind in her body a foam sponge used in dressing her mastectomy wound. Investigators also found toilets brimming with fecal matter and other serious problems, according to the state’s accusation.

The State Auditor’s office in a May 2018 report spotlighted Brius for its higher rate of federal deficiencies and state citations, compared to the rest of the industry in the state.

It was via bankruptcy court that Rechnitz scooped up 18 Country Villa-branded nursing homes in 2014. Per state law, he then filed change-of-ownership applications seeking licenses to run those homes. The state didn’t approve or deny them, instead leaving them pending. In the meantime, Rechnitz continued to run the nursing homes for years without a formal license in his name – which isn’t technically illegal.

A new law was supposed to close that loophole. But that law, co-authored by Democratic Assemblymembers Al Muratsuchi of Los Angeles and Jim Wood of Santa Rosa, doesn’t go into effect until July 1 — and it focuses on new license applications, rather than those that have been operating in the legal gray area for years.

The California Department of Public Health, which oversees the state’s nursing homes, defended the new licensing settlement with Rechnitz, which includes tools for the state to monitor the nursing homes’ performance. The department noted the settlement allows the nursing homes to continue operating, instead of closing and forcing hundreds of residents from their homes. “This settlement resolves longstanding issues we have had with this provider and provides our department stronger enforcement tools to ensure the provider is delivering reasonable and appropriate care to its residents,” Dr. Tomás Aragón, director of the Department of Public Health, said in an emailed statement. “With this settlement, we will continue to monitor the facilities involved with a focus on maintaining that level of care.”

Under the settlement announced this week, the state health department agreed to approve license applications for 24 skilled nursing facilities owned by Rechnitz – once the department receives all necessary documents to complete the process.

The settlement includes some oversight provisions, including a two-year monitoring period. The health department is to meet with each facility every six months to review the quality of care residents are receiving, and each facility is to provide a slew of documents before the meetings. Deficiencies in care are to result in heightened oversight, including daily phone calls. Failing to comply with those parameters is to result in a fine of $10,000 per failure.

An attorney representing Rechnitz’s company Brius did not respond to a phone call or an emailed request for comment.

“We think this is a message to residents of nursing homes in California that their welfare just isn’t all that concerning to the state.”

Tony Chicotel, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform

Tony Chicotel, a staff attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, called the state’s move to license Rechnitz’s nursing homes “sad.”

“There’s been longstanding, systematic problems in nursing homes run by this chain,” he said. “We think this is a message to residents of nursing homes in California that their welfare just isn’t all that concerning to the state.”

Not all of Rechnitz’s applications had been left pending – some were denied outright. In denying his licensing application for Windsor Healthcare Center of Oakland in 2016, the Department of Public Health said staff at the facility neglected to treat the skin ulcers and pain of six different residents — including a paralyzed resident who was left covered in feces and then hospitalized for sepsis.

That facility is now one of the 24 the state is moving toward licensing under the new settlement. The two-dozen facilities also include 13 of the 18 Country Villa properties Rechnitz purchased in 2014.

Another one of Rechnitz’s nursing homes was in hot water recently. Alta Vista Healthcare & Wellness Centre in Riverside, owned by Rechnitz, and its management company, Rockport Healthcare Services, agreed to pay the state and federal government some $3.8 million over allegations they provided kickbacks to doctors. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Alta Vista gave doctors extravagant gifts – including expensive dinners, limousine rides and massages – in exchange for referring patients to their nursing home between 2009 and 2019.

That facility is not included in the new licensing agreement.

Chicotel said he’s “disappointed but not surprised” the state is moving to license Rechnitz’s facilities. It was clear that the law taking effect July 1, which he opposed because he said it lacked teeth, would not take existing facilities away from bad operators, he said.

Assemblymember Wood’s spokesperson, Cathy Mudge, said he was not aware of the settlement and would not be able to comment on it yet. “This is an important issue to him and he will be asking CDPH for more information,” she said in an email.

Assemblymember Muratsuchi’s office did not respond to an email seeking an interview.

The new law still has value going forward because it will apply to new cases, said Dr. Michael Wasserman, a geriatrician and chair of public policy for the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine.

“I think (it) was meant to keep the type of licensing issues that have occurred in the past from ever happening again,” he said.

[therepublicblogs]

Troubled Nursing Home Chain Owner Shlomo Rechnitz Gets New Licenses Just Before State Reforms Take Effect

The state is moving forward with licensing two dozen nursing homes whose primary owner’s companies have a lengthy track record of problems – as uncovered by a CalMatters investigation – despite a new law designed to provide better oversight of the facilities.

The nursing homes in question are owned by Los Angeles businessman Shlomo Rechnitz, who owns dozens of California facilities through a web of companies, including Humboldt County's four primary skilled nursing facilities. 

One of his main companies, Brius Healthcare, has been scrutinized for poor quality care and inadequate staffing, according to federal and state inspection reports, plaintiffs’ attorneys and press accounts. By 2015, government regulators decertified or threatened to decertify three of Rechnitz’s companies’ California nursing homes, a rare penalty that strips facilities of crucial Medicare and Medi-Cal funding.

One of those facilities, Wish-I-Ah Healthcare & Wellness Centre near Fresno, was closed following the death of a 75-year-old resident from a blood infection after staff left behind in her body a foam sponge used in dressing her mastectomy wound. Investigators also found toilets brimming with fecal matter and other serious problems, according to the state’s accusation.

The State Auditor’s office in a May 2018 report spotlighted Brius for its higher rate of federal deficiencies and state citations, compared to the rest of the industry in the state. 

It was via bankruptcy court that Rechnitz scooped up 18 Country Villa-branded nursing homes in 2014. Per state law, he then filed change-of-ownership applications seeking licenses to run those homes. The state didn’t approve or deny them, instead leaving them pending. In the meantime, Rechnitz continued to run the nursing homes for years without a formal license in his name – which isn’t technically illegal. 

A new law was supposed to close that loophole. But that law, co-authored by Democratic Assemblymembers Al Muratsuchi of Los Angeles and Jim Wood of Santa Rosa, doesn’t go into effect until July 1 — and it focuses on new license applications, rather than those that have been operating in the legal gray area for years.

The California Department of Public Health, which oversees the state’s nursing homes, defended the new licensing settlement with Rechnitz, which includes tools for the state to monitor the nursing homes’ performance. The department noted the settlement allows the nursing homes to continue operating, instead of closing and forcing hundreds of residents from their homes.

“This settlement resolves longstanding issues we have had with this provider and provides our department stronger enforcement tools to ensure the provider is delivering reasonable and appropriate care to its residents,” Dr. Tomás Aragón, director of the Department of Public Health, said in an emailed statement. “With this settlement, we will continue to monitor the facilities involved with a focus on maintaining that level of care.”

Under the settlement announced this week, the state health department agreed to approve license applications for 24 skilled nursing facilities owned by Rechnitz – once the department receives all necessary documents to complete the process. 

The settlement includes some oversight provisions, including a two-year monitoring period. The health department is to meet with each facility every six months to review the quality of care residents are receiving, and each facility is to provide a slew of documents before the meetings. Deficiencies in care are to result in heightened oversight, including daily phone calls. Failing to comply with those parameters is to result in a fine of $10,000 per failure. 

An attorney representing Rechnitz’s company Brius did not respond to a phone call or an emailed request for comment.

“We think this is a message to residents of nursing homes in California that their welfare just isn’t all that concerning to the state.” Tony Chicotel, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform

Tony Chicotel, a staff attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, called the state’s move to license Rechnitz’s nursing homes “sad.”

“There’s been longstanding, systematic problems in nursing homes run by this chain,” he said. “We think this is a message to residents of nursing homes in California that their welfare just isn’t all that concerning to the state.”

Not all of Rechnitz’s applications had been left pending – some were denied outright. In denying his licensing application for Windsor Healthcare Center of Oakland in 2016, the Department of Public Health said staff at the facility neglected to treat the skin ulcers and pain of six different residents — including a paralyzed resident who was left covered in feces and then hospitalized for sepsis.

That facility is now one of the 24 the state is moving toward licensing under the new settlement. The two-dozen facilities also include 13 of the 18 Country Villa properties Rechnitz purchased in 2014.

Another one of Rechnitz’s nursing homes was in hot water recently. Alta Vista Healthcare & Wellness Centre in Riverside, owned by Rechnitz, and its management company, Rockport Healthcare Services, agreed to pay the state and federal government some $3.8 million over allegations they provided kickbacks to doctors. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Alta Vista gave doctors extravagant gifts – including expensive dinners, limousine rides and massages – in exchange for referring patients to their nursing home between 2009 and 2019. 

That facility is not included in the new licensing agreement. 

Chicotel said he’s “disappointed but not surprised” the state is moving to license Rechnitz’s facilities. It was clear that the law taking effect July 1, which he opposed because he said it lacked teeth, would not take existing facilities away from bad operators, he said.

Assemblymember Wood’s spokesperson, Cathy Mudge, said he was not aware of the settlement and would not be able to comment on it yet.  “This is an important issue to him and he will be asking CDPH for more information,” she said in an email. 

Assemblymember Muratsuchi’s office did not respond to an email seeking an interview.

The new law still has value going forward because it will apply to new cases, said Dr. Michael Wasserman, a geriatrician and chair of public policy for the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine. 

“I think (it) was meant to keep the type of licensing issues that have occurred in the past from ever happening again,” he said. 

Author: Celia Hansen

[livinginlandmarketing]

It’s a bit like hiding credit card bills under the mattress and declaring that everything’s fine: Cities, a watchdog group says, don’t include the true costs of government in the budgets they present to the public.

Into this financial house of mirrors strides Truth in Accounting, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to translating inscrutable financial documents into a language everyone can understand.

Irvine City Hall (Tomoya Shimura, Orange County Register/SCNG)

In the group’s fifth annual report card on the nation’s 75 biggest cities, Irvine retains its title as the fiscally healthiest city in America — even while the vast majority of its brethren, both in California and across the nation, sink more deeply in debt thanks to promises they’ve made for pensions and retiree health care that are far more expensive than they ever expected.

Joining Irvine in the black was Stockton — testament to the restorative power of municipal bankruptcy — and the city of Fresno.

In the red in California, from least-in-debt to most-in-debt, were Long Beach, Chula Vista, Bakersfield, Riverside, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Ana, Anaheim, San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.

All told, total debt for the 75 most populous cities exceeded $333.5 billion at the end of the 2019 fiscal year. Most of that was pension debt — $180.1 billion — while the rest was for retiree health benefits, at $160.1 billion.

Aerial view of homes in an Irvine neighborhood shot August 5, 2010.

Sunshine cities

Beyond the beige that blankets this master-planned metropolis, Irvine is a dynamo.

With more than 287,000 people, this majority-minority city  — 43 percent Asian, 40 percent White, 10.3 percent Latino, 5 percent mixed-race, 1.7 percent Black — has a citizenry where nearly 70 percent of residents hold a bachelor’s or higher degree and the median income exceeds $105,000 a year.

Getting the finances right has long been a priority, officials said.

Irvine’s “taxpayer surplus” — the money available to pay all its bills, divided by the number of residents — was $4,100 per person for the fiscal year ending in 2019.

That held steady from the year before, but is down from $4,400 in 2017 and $5,200 in 2016. Next year’s surplus is expected to shrink further due to the pandemic.

“Unlike most cities before the crisis, Irvine had more than enough resources available, $370.3 million, to pay all of its bills, including public employees’ retirement benefits,” the watchdog group said. “This means that Irvine’s elected officials have truly balanced their budgets.”

Irvine relishes the crown.

“The city of Irvine is proud to receive recognition for maintaining a strong financial record for the fourth consecutive year, especially so during the COVID-19 health crisis,” Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan said in a statement. “This ranking confirms the city council and city staff remain committed to ensuring resident tax dollars are being wisely managed.”

Weighing in at fourth-healthiest in the nation was Stockton, with a surplus of $3,000 per person. Fresno was No. 7 with a surplus of $2,300 per person.

Truth in Accounting calls these the “sunshine cities.” There are only 13 of them. The rest are dubbed “sinkholes.”

Sinkhole cities

A large Long Beach sign outside of the Port of Long Beach headquarters in the new civic center in 2019.  (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

The remaining 62 cities on the largest-75 list are in the red, owing more than what they have.

Long Beach, ranking at No. 14 overall, was closing in on sunshine before the pandemic hit. In 2016, its per-resident deficit was $1,500, but it had shrunk dramatically to just $100 per resident in the year examined.

“Long Beach went into the coronavirus pandemic in mediocre fiscal health, and it will probably come out of the crisis worse,” Truth in Accounting said. “Long Beach’s elected officials have repeatedly made financial decisions that have left the city with a debt burden of $20.2 million.”

Riverside City Hall (Photo by Google Maps)

Riverside, No. 28, had made strides toward solvency as well. In 2017, it had a taxpayer burden of $3,700 per person; that shrank to $3,100. It, too, was in mediocre fiscal health before the pandemic, and will probably emerge from the crisis worse, TIA said. Riverside’s elected officials have left the city with a debt burden of $330.7 million.

Los Angeles, at No. 38, also has made solid strides. In 2014, its debt burden was $8,000 per person. That has been halved, to $4,000 per person — but it’s also expected to get worse. The city’s total debt burden was $5.1 billion before the pandemic hit.

Los Angeles City Hall is illuminated with dark blue lights as Dodgers fans celebrate with fireworks in October. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

At No. 43, Santa Ana has been sliding. In 2016, its per-person deficit was $3,400; that yawned to $5,400 per resident. “Santa Ana went into the coronavirus pandemic in poor fiscal health, and it will probably come out of the crisis worse,” TIA said. The city’s debt burden was $571.9 million.

The city, however, says the situation improved substantially as the 2020 fiscal year closed, dropping down to $3,047 per resident. “Of that amount, $2,621 per resident is long-term debt amortized over many years, to be funded in future periods,” spokesman Paul Eakins said by email. Current debt is $426 per resident, more than offset by cash and short-term receivables; and its general fund cash reserve balance exceeded $54 million, nearly a quarter of what it spends in a year. Even with the pandemic, Long Beach was able to preserve its service levels and add funding for public safety, he said.

Anaheim, home to the Happiest Place on Earth and No. 47, had a $6,200-per-person deficit. That’s worse than in 2016, when it was $5,300 per resident, but not as bad as 2017, when it was $7,200 per resident. It, too, entered the pandemic in poor fiscal health, and is expected to suffer more. Its debt burden was $696.1 million.

“We share and applaud interest in the financial health of cities, though often reports like these can be overly broad,” Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said. “Like many cities, Anaheim faces pension obligations and real fiscal impacts from the pandemic.

Anaheim City Hall/File photo

  What’s not captured is that Anaheim is a $2 billion city enterprise with its own electric and water utility, public safety and convention center and sports venues, which naturally brings obligations, and also revenue, other cities may not have. And while the pandemic has brought near-term issues for Anaheim, our long-term future is bright with major investments planned aroundour theme parks and sports venues and with millions of visitors waiting to return to our city once it’s safe to do so.”

New York tops

The worst city in America, again, was the Big Apple. New York had a stunning deficit of $68,200 per person. It has only grown since 2014, and is also expected to get worse post-pandemic.

-on February 01, 2021 at 08:02AM by Teri Sforza

[mcnicholaslaw]

Lawsuit Filed Against Los Angeles Department of Water & Power For Victims of Creek Fires

– Lawsuit alleges LADWP failed to maintain and inspect power lines, as well as heed severe weather warnings of potential dangers associated with drought and high winds –

LOS ANGELES – Trial law firms McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, Frantz Law Group, APLC,  Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian and Becker Law Group have filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) and the City of Los Angeles on behalf of victims of the “Creek Fires,” after the utility company’s electrical long-distance transmission lines ignited 15 miles of widespread fires. The lawsuit alleges that LADWP negligently installed and maintained its electrical equipment for the area with disregard to the known wildfire risks, as well as failed to heed high wind weather warnings from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (“CalFire”) and the National Weather Service to safeguard the impact to the overhead power lines. The plaintiffs involved have suffered economic and non-economic damages, including extreme property damage and loss, personal injury, emotional distress and more.

During the days leading up to the fire impact, one of the many weather and wildfire experts, including Bill Gabbert of Wild Fire Today, primitively warned, “If fire ignition occurs, there will be the potential for rapid spread of wildfire with extreme fire behavior that could lead to a threat of life and property.”

“The National Weather Service issued a multitude of ‘Red Flag’ warnings and ‘Fire Weather Watches’ across Southern California due to the low humidity, record-high temperatures, and anticipated 50-mph wind gusts in the region. Such warnings should have created significant concern and preventative action from LADWP,” said Patrick McNicholas, Partner at McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP. “They failed to take reasonable precautions to protect residents from a clearly foreseeable risk, and their conscious disregard for safety caused devastation throughout nine communities.”

Background Information

Beginning on December 5, 2017, a 10-day-long blaze destroyed 15,619 acres of land across nine communities within Los Angeles County, including Santa Clarita, Olive View, Lake View Terrace, Sunland-Tujunga, Shadow Hills, Sylmar, Pacoima, Lopez Canyon and Kagel Canyon. The “Creek Fires” destroyed or damaged 204 homes and non-residential structures, and threatened thousands more.

The fires became ignited and spread wildly as a result of the intensity of the annual Santa Ana winds that whipped the high-voltage power lines, which contained an excessive amount of slack caused by heat stress and LADWP’s failure to inspect and maintain proper tension of the lines. In turn, the aluminum and steel lines snapped in the extreme weather conditions, creating a perfect fire starter to dry ground vegetation coupled with the high temperature and low humidity of the season.

As the largest municipal electric utility in the nation and supplier of over 24 million megawatt hours of electricity a year for 1.4 million LA customers, LADWP has a duty to consistently maintain a high standard of safety for the communities that it serves, at all times. Had LADWP followed the necessary standard of care in inspecting, maintaining and repairing its ultra-high-powered transmission lines, the “Creek Fires” catastrophe could have been mitigated. Instead, it has left residents struggling to secure basic living necessities and return to their regular way of life.

###

McNicholas & McNicholas, a Los Angeles-based plaintiff’s trial law firm, represents clients in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, employment law, class actions, sexual abuse and other consumer-oriented matters such as civil rights, aviation disasters and product liability. Founded by a family of attorneys spanning three generations, McNicholas & McNicholas has been trying cases to jury verdict on behalf of their clients for more than five decades.

McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP

10866 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1400

Los Angeles, CA 90024

Phone: 310-474-1582

Fax: 310-475-7871

3558 Round Barn Blvd., Suite 215

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Phone: 707-236-6316

Fax: 619-525-7672

www.mcnicholaslaw.com

Frantz Law Group, a California-based law firm with offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield and Riverside, represents plaintiffs in personal injury litigation cases throughout California and nationwide.

Frantz Law Group

402 West Broadway, Suite 860

San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 855-930-2626

3558 Round Barn Blvd., Suite 215

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Phone: 707-236-6316

Fax: 619-525-7672

www.frantzlawgroup.com

Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian is a Los Angeles-based trial law firm, specializing in business, insurance, employment, trust and estate, real estate, personal injury, wrongful death and construction defect.

Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian

26 Corporate Plaza, Suite 250

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Phone: 949-831-6611

Fax: 949-831-6622

3558 Round Barn Blvd., Suite 215

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Phone: 707-236-6316

Fax: 619-525-7672

www.bridgfordlaw.com

The Becker Law Group is a California-based law firm, specializing in personal injury, wrongful death, bankruptcy, immigration, IP law, international trade law, medical malpractice, business law, employment law and fire property damage.

Becker Law Group

117 E. Colorado Boulevard, Suite 500

Pasadena, CA 91105

Phone: 626-777-7700

Fax: 626-714-7603

www.beckerlawgroup.com

The post Lawsuit Filed Against Los Angeles Department of Water & Power For Victims of Creek Fires appeared first on McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP.

[brianstewarte]

To prove your Fresno county bankruptcy is finished. Your Fresno county bankruptcy records, discharge papers, dismissal papers, or final decree copies are often needed when applying for a loan, renting an apartment, or when you apply for a new job.

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