Hospital District Fires Its Director
The South Bay Hospital District has fired its executive director, effective this week.
The district board advised Philip Valera on Tuesday evening that it was ending his employment as of Wednesday, Ken Johnson, the board’s president, said Thursday. Valera had served in the post 6 1/2 years.
Johnson said he could not provide details about the reason for the departure, saying only: “It’s a personnel matter.” And Valera declined comment, citing an agreement “on both sides that we would not be commenting on the separation.”
The board is considering hiring an interim director, said Jeffrey Freedman, an attorney representing the district.
The district owns the 203-bed South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach and has leased it for a 30-year period to American Medical International Inc. The income from investment of the rent is used to help pay for community-based programs in the area.
The district is a public entity with a five-member board elected from Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.
Nine candidates are competing for three seats in the November election.
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