P.G. assisted living former owners agree to a $145,000 settlement after investigation into staffing failures.

The former owners of an assisted living facility in Pacific Grove have agreed to pay $145,000 in civil penalties and costs for allegedly failing to adequately background check employees as well as not providing enough staff to care for residents, Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced on Sept. 15.

Sandeep and Anuradha Saini of Roma Del Monte in Pacific Grove, formerly owners of Del Monte Assisted Living, located at 1221 and 1229 David Ave., agreed to the settlement to resolve the issues. As part of the agreement they were no longer allowed to operate the facility.

New owners purchased the assisted living business in 2023 and received new licensing. They are currently working toward purchasing the land and buildings as well, according to Matthew Delbruegge, owner of Del Monte Care. The new name of the facility is Del Monte Village.

The Sainis were also owners of A1 Del Monte in Stockton and A1 Del Monte Lodi in Lodi at the time of the investigation. The case was handled by both the Monterey D.A. and San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas.

The case began after the Pacific Grove Police Department responded to Del Monte Assisted Living 16 times in 2022 due to "elopements," residents leaving without knowledge of the staff, among other issues.

An investigation by the D.A.'s Office found that the issues were caused by insufficient night staffing to keep track of residents, as well as inadequate coverage by trained staff to cover absences. 

The investigation also uncovered that some workers were not appropriately background checked as required by California law, and were allowed to work directly with residents. Exemptions to background checks are allowed in some cases, but the owners did not seek such exemptions, according to a press release.