Northridge sale moves forward despite pols' appeals.

THE sale of Northridge Hospital Medical Center's Sherman Way campus to developer Dan Selleck appears to be a done deal, despite protests from Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas and other critics who had wanted the sale stopped.

The Catholic Healthcare West facility, which closed Nov. 17, has already sold off much of its equipment to nearby Valley Presbyterian Hospital, and Attorney General Bill Lockyer has declined to intervene despite requests by Cardenas, state Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, and the Service Employees International Union. There were 350 physicians on staff at the hospital, which employed 800 personnel.

Critics contended that Lockyer had the authority under state law to intervene in the closure of the non-profit 209-bed facility and are upset because a doctors group had wanted to buy the facility to operate it as a hospital. However, a spokesman for Lockyer said there was nothing he could do without evidence of fraud, since the hospital had already closed. Still, Cardenas has asked Lockyer to double-check his authority.

The question is what will become of the nearly 4-acre site, which includes a medical office tower, parking structure and other buildings in addition to the hospital.

Stacy Bellew, a spokesman for Cardenas, said she had been informed that Selleck, president of Westlake Village-based Selleck Development Group, may want to convert the main hospital building into a convalescent home.

Selleck, brother of actor Tom Selleck, has a history of developing mixed-use projects, including the General Motors Corp. plant in Van Nuys, which was converted into a retail center and industrial park.

Selleck did not return calls.

Staff reporter Laurence Darmiento can be reached at [phone], ext. 237, or at [e-mail].