Medical Board Director Quits Under Pressure : Government: Criticism centered on his handling of disciplinary actions against doctors.

After a controversial nine-year tenure, the director of the state agency that licenses and disciplines California doctors has abruptly resigned, saying he was pressured into stepping down by Gov. Pete Wilson’s office.

Executive Director Ken Wagstaff, who has frequently been the target of criticism from consumer groups and legislators, said he was leaving the Medical Board of California because he no longer had the confidence of a majority of the agency’s 19-member governing board.

“This (resignation) has become necessary because of a desire . . . recently communicated to (board President Frederick) Milkie by the governor’s chief of staff, that I step aside,” Wagstaff wrote in a resignation letter to Milkie.

Wagstaff said it was apparent that the board was prepared to oust him either at its Nov. 6 meeting or later. He said his resignation is effective midnight Nov. 6.

Wagstaff declined to comment further except to say that he understood that a “political decision” had been made to replace him.

Kassy Perry, a spokeswoman for the governor, confirmed that the governor’s office had pushed board members to replace the controversial director. She said Wilson’s staff decided to step in after months of unsuccessful effort by the Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the board, to force improvements in its disciplinary operation.

“The medical board has had well-documented problems in the past and it is a very logical step by this Administration to be concerned about a board’s functioning and to desire to have it run more effectively and efficiently,” she said.

The board’s performance has been frequently criticized by district attorneys, legislators, newspapers and consumer organizations for its disciplinary actions, which its detractors have contended were lax and inefficient.

The criticism reached its height in 1990 when the board was found to have a backlog of 600 complaints against doctors that had yet to be investigated.

More recently, the agency has been under investigation by the California Highway Patrol for allegations of nepotism and misuse of state property. It also has been accused of closing a number of cases without proper investigation in order to eliminate its backlog.

Wagstaff and Lance Barnett, chief deputy director of the Consumer Affairs Department, said the CHP investigation had no bearing on the executive director’s resignation.

But Barnett did confirm that the medical board has been “a source of ongoing concern” for his department and that officials have been worried that it is not providing adequate protection for consumers.

Board members have been divided in their opinions of Wagstaff’s performance. Many of the newer members who were appointed by Wilson have been pushing for a new director while those who were appointed by former Gov. George Deukmejian have resisted attempts to remove Wagstaff.

In an Oct. 11 letter to Chief of Staff Bob White, board President Milkie referred to Wagstaff as an “invaluable asset” to the board whose performance had been “outstanding.”

However, Robert Fellmeth, director of the University of San Diego’s Center for Public Interest Law, said Wagstaff deserved criticism for failing to push the board to be more aggressive in its discipline of bad doctors.