RUHS-MC Emergency Kitchen Cleaning
Summary
SCH Number
2025020971
Public Agency
Riverside County
Document Title
RUHS-MC Emergency Kitchen Cleaning
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
2/26/2025
Document Description
On February 3, 2024, the RUHS Medical Center Inspection Team conducted a regulatory and infection control inspection in the Medical Center Kitchen, located at 26520 Cactus Avenue, Moreno Valley, California 92555. The inspection team determined that immediate corrective measures needed to be taken to clean and remediate the kitchen as the deficiencies discovered would have triggered infection control deficiencies from regulatory bodies including The Joint Commission (TJC) and California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The scope of work of the project for deep cleaning and remediation of the kitchen included but not limited to flooring, equipment, ceiling tiles, grease traps, ventilation hoods, solid surfaces, walls, countertops, HVAC registers, etc. The scope also included minor repairs, patching walls, and painting any wall or ceiling that had penetration and surface deficiencies found during the deep cleaning process.
On May 1, 2024, Facilities Management (FM) issued an emergency declaration pursuant to the authority delegated in Resolution No. 2003-23 by the Board of Supervisors, allowing immediate action to procure contracts to provide emergency work without competitive bidding. Failure to immediately address this clean-up and remediation within the Medical Center Kitchen would pose an imminent risk to the health, safety and welfare of persons and property, or to essential public services, in the forms of: infectious disease control issues, non-compliance of regulatory standards, licensing; and accreditation implications related to CDPH, TJC, Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services, closure of health care areas, inability to provide adequate health care needs, and loss of County services. The emergency cleanup of the RUHS -MC kitchen is identified as the proposed project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The operation of the facility will continue to provide public services and will not result in a change or expansion of existing use. No additional direct or indirect physical environmental impacts are anticipated.
Contact Information
Name
Mike Sullivan
Agency Name
Riverside County
Job Title
Facilities Operations Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Moreno Valley
Counties
Riverside
Regions
Citywide, Countywide
Cross Streets
26520 Cactus Avenue, west of Nason Street
Zip
92553
Parcel #
486-280-037
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Emergency Project
Type, Section or Code
15269(b)(c)
Reasons for Exemption
This statutory exemption consists of emergency projects that are exempt under CEQA. Under (b), emergency repairs to publicly or privately owned service facilities necessary to maintain service essential to the public health, safety or welfare are exempt. Under (c), specific actions necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency are exempt. The cleanup of kitchen at the RUHS Medical Center satisfies both of these conditions, as the RUHS Medical Center is an essential public facility that provides health and medical services to those in need. The kitchen inspection at the hospital resulted in the identification of health and safety deficiencies that could have potentially resulted in the loss of the hospital's ability to provide critical health services to the public. Emergency cleanup was required to avoid a threat to the public health, safety and welfare. In addition, the kitchen deficiencies identified in the inspection necessitated immediate action in the form of remediation to maintain public health, as people in hospitals contain sensitive populations, including the sick and elderly, who are more susceptible to threats to public health. Therefore, the project is exempt as it meets the scope and intent of the Statutory Exemption identified in Section 15269, Article 18, Statutory Exemptions of the CEQA Guidelines.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Section 15301 Class 1 Existing Facilities
Reasons for Exemption
This Class 1 categorical exemption includes the operation, repair, maintenance, leasing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures or facilities, provided the exemption only involves negligible or no expansion of the previous site’s use. The project, as proposed, is limited to the cleanup up the kitchen at the RUHS-MC. The use of the facilities would continue to provide public services and would not result in a significant increase in capacity or intensity of use. Therefore, the project is exempt as it meets the scope and intent of the Categorical Exemption identified in Section 15301, Article 19, Categorical Exemptions of the CEQA Guidelines.
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
Section 15061 (b)(3) Common Sense
Reasons for Exemption
In accordance with CEQA, the use of the Common Sense Exemption is based on the “general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.” State CEQA Guidelines, Section 15061(b) (3). The use of this exemption is appropriate if “it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” Ibid. This determination is an issue of fact and if sufficient evidence exists in the record that the activity cannot have a significant effect on the environment, then the exemption applies and no further evaluation under CEQA is required. See No Oil, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles (1974) 13 Cal. 3d 68. The ruling in this case stated that if a project falls within a category exempt by administrative regulation or 'it can be seen with certainty that the activity in question will not have a significant effect on the environment', no further agency evaluation is required. With certainty, there is no possibility that the project may have a significant effect on the environment. The proposed cleanup of the kitchen at the RUHS-MC will not result in any direct or indirect physical environmental impacts. The improvements would occur within existing facility, would not alter the footprint and is being completed to create a compliant and safe health facility. The use of the facility for public health services would remain unchanged. Therefore, in no way, would the project as proposed have the potential to cause a significant environmental impact and the project is exempt from further CEQA analysis.
County Clerk
Riverside
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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