FIELDING OK'D AS DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH TOP SALARY, SEARCH ARE STICKING POINTS FOR 2 BOARD MEMBERS.Byline: TROY ANDERSON Staff Writer Despite concerns that he would become the second-highest paid Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County official, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to appoint Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding director of the newly formed Department of Public Health. In closed session, supervisors voted 3-2 in favor of the appointment, even though it could raise Fielding's annual salary from $185,576 as a public health officer to about $260,000 as director of the new agency. Supervisors Gloria Molina Gloria Molina is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[1] Molina grew up as one of ten children in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera, California, U.S. and Don Knabe Donald R. Knabe (born October 15, 1943 in Illinois) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, serving the Fourth District, a crescent shaped district that covers the coastline from Marina Del Rey southward to Long Beach, and southeastern Los Angeles County to opposed the move, which would put Fielding behind only Department of Health Services Department of Health Services may refer to:
``She understands why department heads need to get paid as much as they do, but she felt this particular salary was too high,'' Molina spokesman Miguel Santana Miguel Santana (born February 9, 1965) is a former boxer from Puerto Rico. Santana was born in Canovanas. Boxing career Miguel Santana had an award winning amateur boxing career, training alongside a young Jose Antonio Rivera, who is a two division world champion himself. said. ``(Chief Administrative Officer A chief administrative officer (CAO) is responsible for administrative management of private, public or governmental corporations. The CAO is one of the highest ranking members of an organization, managing daily operations and usually reporting directly to the chief executive ) David Janssen doesn't even get paid that much. ``This department will have a ($650) million budget. The Department of Health Services has a $5 billion budget. There are several departments that are substantially bigger, and the department heads get paid less. It really is outside the realm of what we pay department heads.'' The next-highest-paid county official is Sheriff Lee Baca Leroy David Baca (b. May 27 1942, East Los Angeles, California) is the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California. After graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School (Los Angeles) in 1960, Baca worked his way through East Los Angeles College before starting with the L.A. at $259,587, followed by Janssen at $232,804. In a prepared statement, Fielding said, ``I appreciate the board's strong support, particularly creating a new county department exclusive devoted to public health, and welcome the opportunity to continue to make progress ... .'' County supervisors will vote to finalize Fielding's salary next week. Department of Human Resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. Director Michael Henry, who recommended Fielding's salary, said Fielding is one of three doctors who serve as department heads in the county, and all are highly paid. Henry also noted that Fielding has a master's degree in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School is the business school of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1881 through a donation of Joseph Wharton, making it the world’s oldest business school. and a master's degree in health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract administration from Harvard University. ``So given his credentials and given our county structure, we thought this is an appropriate salary,'' Henry said. ``If you look out in the private sector, or even in other public agencies, you'll find this salary is right in line or even on the low side. With those kinds of credentials, he could probably command a salary of $350,000 or more.'' Henry also noted that Fielding decided last year to stop collecting a $100,000-a-year stipend he received from King-Drew Medical School for consulting services. On Aug. 1, Fielding also stopped collecting $12,000 to $15,000 a year for teaching at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , Henry said. As the county's public health officer since 1998, Fielding had been part of the Department of Health Services. The supervisors voted earlier this summer to create a separate Department of Public Health to focus on disease control and bioterrorism prevention. Knabe, who authored the motion to separate the departments, said he wanted the department to focus on bioterrorism and threats like the avian flu. He said he wanted someone to be held accountable to be sure all public health funds are used for that purpose. Knabe said he voted against the appointment Tuesday because he believes the county should have conducted a national search for a public health director. ``It's one of the few times where we had the opportunity and advantage of time,'' he said. ``We have Dr. Fielding in place. At the end of the day, he might be the best-qualified, and that's fine. But I just didn't think we needed to rush to judgment.'' Knabe also said he had concerns about Fielding's potential salary. ``I understand that we have to pay these doctors quite a bit of money to get them here,'' he said. ``But a national search would have validated what the salary requirements are nationally.'' troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com (213) 974-8985 |
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