June 2007

WCA shows support for new California Board

World Chiropractic Alliance legal counsel Carlos Negrete spoke at the April 19 meeting of the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners and took exception to local news coverage of the recent Board shake up. Negrete also voiced the organization's support of Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Negrete said the WCA was "upset over several recent articles by The Sacramento Bee placing certain board members' integrity and commitment into question."

He explained that, in 2006, the WCA had responded to numerous complaints from chiropractors and consumers about certain Board staff members by launching an investigation of the Board and its staff. The findings of the investigation were presented to the Board on August 10, 2006 at its meeting in Sacramento. In the report, there were documents that exposed conflict and corruption about then certain staff members and particularly Dr. Maggie Craw.

"The documents revealed that the Board was fraught with a rogue staff that refused to truthfully report to its own Board and would take Board actions without bringing matters to the Board or the public," Negrete stated, adding that The Sacramento Bee newspaper was contacted about the complaints at that time but refused to report on the story.

The WCA provided the documentation to the Board and requested that it take measures to correct the situation.

"Fortunately, the Board did do so and took swift and decisive action to restore confidence," Negrete commented during the Board meeting. "Changes were made and new policies implemented. We applauded this effort. Not only did the Board have the right, but it had the obligation to consumers and practitioners."

The Sacramento Bee, however, continued to ignore the problems revealed in the WCA complaint and instead, Negrete pointed out, covered the story in a biased and irresponsible manner.

Its articles were "clearly intended as political hit pieces by a news reporter who serves more as a public relations spokesman for certain political interests," Negrete charged. "This is not about the Governor; this is about corruption that needed correcting and what had to be done. Now, we are informed that those Board staff members that have been uncovered have the audacity, arrogance and temerity to threaten the Board with lawsuits if they are correctly fired for legal malfeasance, thereby holding the Board hostage. This should not be tolerated. For the record, the WCA is proud of the Board, particularly Dr. Columbu and Dr. Tyler and the fellow Board members and stand behind them and their courageous actions."