Kreitzer May Step Down From Mental Health Board in Protest

Adding to the continuing turmoil over the Ventura County Mental Health Board’s future, an executive officer told his colleagues on Monday that he may quit his post today in protest over the recent ouster of the panel’s chairman.

Shlomo Kreitzer said the removal of John Chaudier earlier this month proves that supervisors lack respect for Mental Health Board members, who had recommended Chaudier be appointed for a third term.

Some board members believe Chaudier, a Navy manager, was forced out because he was a staunch merger proponent. Chaudier supported the decision to merge the social services and mental health departments--a move that led to a $15.3-million penalty for the county.

Kreitzer said he would make an announcement this morning at the supervisors’ meeting. The retired psychologist would be the latest casualty in what has become the worst financial disaster in the county’s history.

“Maybe some people will be glad that I am considering leaving the Mental Health Board,” Kreitzer told the 10-member panel and about 25 audience members.

“I’ve already had a complaint filed against me. But, like John Chaudier, I do expect cooperation and openness from the Behavioral Health Department and respect from the Board of Supervisors. So maybe I don’t belong here either.”

Kreitzer referred to Mental Health Board member Lita Biejo’s complaint against him, filed with the chief administrative office last week. Biejo accuses Kreitzer of orchestrating the cancellation of last week’s board meeting. A week after Chaudier was ousted, several Mental Health Board members skipped the meeting in protest.

On Monday, Kreitzer denied the accusation. He said he did not attend the meeting because it fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. Once he determined there wouldn’t be a quorum, he said he canceled the meeting, giving board members 72 hours notice.

But at least one board member doesn’t buy it. Biejo, who also filed several complaints against Chaudier before his removal, demanded Monday that Kreitzer step down.

Supervisor John Flynn, a member of the panel who had pushed for the removal of Chaudier, also had words with Kreitzer during the three-hour meeting.

When Flynn began discussing the housing needs for the mentally ill, Kreitzer attempted to cut his comments short.

Flynn became visibly upset. A member of the audience yelled, “Let him speak!”

“I thought we had a free-flowing discussion,” Flynn said. “I’m going to say what I want to say. . . . I can’t believe it.”

One of the complaints against Chaudier was that he allegedly cut off public comments and blocked new members from joining the board. The three supervisors who voted to oust Chaudier--Flynn, Frank Schillo and Judy Mikels--say the complaints led to his ouster.

But some members of the Mental Health Board said Chaudier was ousted because he was a merger supporter and a vocal critic of David Gudeman, who replaced Stephen Kaplan as director of the Behavioral Health Department. Kaplan, also a staunch supporter of the merger, was the first county official forced to resign after the combined agency was dismantled in December.

Supervisors rescinded the merger decision after federal officials made it clear that it violated organizational rules. The merger touched off several federal and state audits, including one that uncovered nearly a decade’s worth of faulty Medicare billing practices.

The county settled that matter for $15.3 million, but other audits are expected to result in more multimillion-dollar penalties.

Mental health advocate Pearl Lieber suggested that all Mental Health Board members be removed and the board start with a clean slate. She said the infighting and political posturing has become so intense that there is little focus on the mentally ill client.

“We need an independent group representing the community,” Lieber said. “We need a complete changeover in composition. This board smacks of political influence.”