The Salinas Valley Health board is evaluating three candidates for the CEO spot.

The Salinas Valley Health board of directors is getting closer to choosing a replacement for former president and CEO Pete Delgado, who stepped down in October 2023 after 10 years. In a closed session meeting on Thursday, April 25, the publicly elected board of the special district was presented with three candidates to choose from, after vetting by a national search firm and the board’s own search committee.

The names of the three candidates are not being disclosed. One possible candidate could be Dr. Allen Radner, who was chosen to serve as interim president and CEO shortly after Delgado left. Radner was SVH’s chief medical officer for 10 years and one of the main infectious disease experts working in Monterey County during the first years of Covid-19. He began working as interim on Dec. 1.

Delgado announced his resignation to SVH staff on Oct. 9, with no specified effective date, followed by an announcement four days later that he would remain until June 30, 2024, while the board looked for a new leader. (Despite that date, Delgado is no longer on the payroll, and has not been working since Dec. 1, according to a spokesperson. That’s when Radner took over as interim.) The California Controller’s Office shows that in 2022, Delgado was paid approximately $1.4 million in total compensation and benefits.

The new president and CEO will lead a system with over 2,300 employees and a payroll of $227.5 million, with $69.4 million in retirement and health contributions, as of 2022. For the 2023-24 fiscal year, the district projected (as of March 31) approximately $543.5 million in operating revenue and $552 million in operating expenses, a deficit of $8.5 million. Non-operating income, which comes from investments, grants and other sources, is projected as a positive, at nearly $23 million for the fiscal year.

The full board will interview all three candidates and make a hiring announcement, possibly in May or June.