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Case 8:23-cv-00504 Document 1-4 Filed 03120I23 Page 6 of 10 Page ID #:148 <br /> district from applying for or accepting these sorts of grants or subsidized loans, or from <br /> accepting payment from patients eligible for Medicare, Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or state <br /> subsidized insurance, Since it is hard to imagine that there are any medical offices in <br /> the P district that do not accept at least one of these forms of government subsidies, the <br /> Ordinance as currently drafted would have an immediate and devastating impact can the <br /> ability of medical offices in Santa Ana to serve the City's residents, particularly senior <br /> citizens. <br /> This would appear to be one of the many"unintended consequences" of <br /> approving the Ordinance and it clearly requires the Ordinance to be sent back to staff <br /> for further review and revision. Indeed, in the spreadsheet on page 3 of the January 17, <br /> 2023 Staff Report for the Ordinance, it appears that staff intended to distinguish <br /> between for-profit and non-profit medical offices and did not anticipate that the CUP <br /> requirement would apply to for-profit medical offices simply because they might, for <br /> example, serve patients covered by Medicare. This ambiguity caused by the vague <br /> language of the Ordinance is fatal to its enforcement, and the Ordinance needs to be <br /> sent back for further analysis and resolution_ <br /> Moreover, because the Ordinance as presently drafted could potentially sweep in <br /> all medical offices and discourage them from receiving federal subsidies in order to <br /> avoid the CUP requirement, the Ordinance would impermissibly frustrate the purpose of <br /> the various state and federal government programs that provide all these farms of <br /> financial assistance. <br /> This Ordinance will likely have even more severe consequences that the City has <br /> not considered. Notably, the City receives millions of dollars of government grants and <br /> subsidies; The Staff Report and City Council discussions to date have not considered <br /> whether or not explicit discrimination against government medical programs might <br /> jeopardize the funding that the City receives itself. SOS submits that, when state and <br /> federal agencies learn that the City is directly interfering with the implementation of their <br /> health and welfare programs, they may withheld andlor cancel any more funds provided <br /> to the City. <br /> Additional Deficiencies Invalidating the Ordinance. <br /> In addition to the infirmities discussed above, the Ordinance is subject to the <br /> following deficiencies that render the Ordinance invalid: <br /> 1. Without any rational basis, the Ordinance unlawfully discriminates between for- <br /> profit and non-profit medical offices, allowing the former to operate "by right," but <br /> requiring the latter to apply for a discretionary CUP which could be denied following a <br /> Share Our Selves 6 1 P a g e <br />