Opinion No. (1998)

DANIEL E. LUNGREN Attorney General CLAYTON P. ROCHE Deputy Attorney General THE HONORABLE MIKE THOMPSON, MEMBER OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE, has requested an opinion on the following question: Does a county board of supervisors or the county emergency medical services agency have the authority to designate the location of trauma facilities in the county? CONCLUSION The county emergency medical services agency, and not the county board of supervisors, has the authority to designate the location of trauma facilities in the county. ANALYSIS In 1980 the Legislature enacted a comprehensive statutory scheme, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act (Health Saf. Code, §§ 1797 - 1799.207 ; "Act") 1 to establish a statewide system for providing emergency medical services to those in need thereof. ( Valley Medical Transport, Inc . v. Apple Valley Fire Protection Dist . (1998) 17 Cal.4th 747 , 754 ; County of San Bernardino v. City of San Bernardino (1997) 15 Cal.4th 909 , 914-916 .) The Act is administered by the Emergency Medical Services Authority ("Authority") at the state level (§ 1797.1 ) and by an emergency…