 Civil service rules and labor contracts would have required former MLK–Harbor employees to be given first chance at a replacement hospital if it were directly owned and operated by Los Angeles County.Chartering the replacement hospital under a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization made it a distinct entity from the County, unencumbered by legacy hiring rules.The hospital reopened as a smaller facility, with 131 beds instead of 233 (compared to 537 at its height).