SACRAMENTO, CA – Today Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) questioned the Medical Board of California regarding their review and action procedures of provider complaints during the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee Joint Hearing Sunset Review.

“Today’s hearing demonstrates the Medical Board is broken. Many of the questions I proposed today remain unanswered,” said Senator Hurtado. “There is agreement between the patient and provider community that there is desperate need for reform, which will only occur if information is made available. For this reason, I am exploring my options to gain more information from the Medical Board of California. It is our moral obligation to protect patients and improve health access.”

The Joint Hearing of the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee meets to perform “sunset reviews” on the Medical Board of California every 4 years. The purpose of the “sunset review” is to evaluate the need for the continued existence of a program, board or an agency. This process allows the California State Legislature, the boards, and interested parties the ability to assess the efficiency, effectiveness and performance of the board and make recommendations for improvements. The Medical Board of California was last reviewed in 2016-2017.

Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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