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City of Lomita v. County of Los Angeles
Citations: 148 Cal. App. 3d 671; 196 Cal. Rptr. 221; 1983 Cal. App. LEXIS 2339Docket: Civ. 67798
Court: California Court of Appeal; November 2, 1983; California; State Appellate Court
Plaintiff cities appealed a trial court judgment that denied their request for the County of Los Angeles to pay for emergency ambulance services provided to indigent residents. The Court of Appeals reversed the lower court's ruling, asserting that the County has a statutory obligation to provide emergency ambulance services to all indigent residents, regardless of their place of residence. The court found the payment provisions in the existing contracts between the cities and the County void due to lack of consideration, as the County is already legally required to provide such services. The court referenced existing case law establishing that counties must offer hospital and medical services to indigent residents and that this duty includes emergency ambulance transportation. The County's reliance on various statutory provisions was deemed irrelevant to the core issue, clarifying that while both cities and counties can provide ambulance services, the obligation to deliver this service at no cost does not apply when it is already mandated by law. The judgment emphasized that regardless of how the County fulfills its obligations—whether by operating its own services, delegating tasks to local agencies, or contracting with private companies—the financial responsibility lies with the County. The reversal of the trial court's judgment leaves the determination of relief for the plaintiffs to the trial court, with the decision potentially affecting broader budgetary considerations within the County.