A letter from Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias to Valley Children’s Hospital Healthcare Board Chair Michael Hanson regarding high rates of executive pay spurred a legal request to the councilmember — something Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said warrants an ethics complaint to the State Bar Association.

“I strongly urge that the hospital’s legal team immediately cease and desist contacting city officials regarding legal matters without including the Fresno City Attorney’s office in those discussions,” Janz said Thursday at a city council meeting. “If these communications continue without my knowledge, my office will not hesitate to report this conduct to the California State Bar.”

Related Story: While Valley Children’s Executives Earn Millions, Community Benefits Lag

Valley Children’s Wants to See Letter from Arias

In 2021, Valley Children’s reported to the IRS that CEO Todd Suntrapak received $5.1 million in compensation and $5.5 million the year before. The hospital maintains that the high pay in 2021 is due to two bonuses being reported in one year.

On April 2, Arias told news outlet SJV Sun he had penned a letter to Hanson saying the hospital has “placed profits over the health of our city residents, especially our poorest children.”

As of noon, Thursday no one from Valley Children’s has received a letter from Arias, said Zara Arboleda, chief communications officer for the hospital.

“Mr. Hanson informs me he has not received any direct correspondence from you, and instead of your communication through a questionable ‘media outlet,’ I am asking that you show the courtesy — as an officeholder on the public payroll — to immediately provide my office with a copy,” Chaltraw’s letter stated.

Related Story: Records Show That Valley Children’s Leader Suntrapak’s Pay Exceeds ...

Arias told the Sun that employees, vendors, patients, and doctors have told him about extended emergency room wait times, a lack of cleaning supplies, and poor wages.

Valley Children’s Hospital Chief Legal Officer William Chaltraw, Jr. called those claims “unfounded.”

“We will not stand idly by while you seek to garner political publicity for your own personal gain off the extraordinary work of our organization,” Chaltraw’s letter stated.

Arias did not respond to a GV Wire question on Thursday about whether he sent the letter to Valley Children’s.

Unethical to Leave Attorney Out of Legal Letter: Janz

Speaking from the dias, Arias called the letter from Chaltraw “sloppy” — pointing out the misspelling of councilmember Luis Chavez’s name.

“I’m surprised somebody who garnered a million dollar salary in 2021 and a $2 million loan from hospital proceeds would be this sloppy in their correspondence to public officials,” Arias said at Thursday’s council meeting.

Janz said talking to his client — city of Fresno officials — without the city attorney being included is unethical attorney conduct. While there are exceptions for communicating with elected officials, contacting Fresno City Manager Georgeanne White was inappropriate, Janz said.

White was copied in the hospital’s letter to Arias, as were the other councilmembers and Mayor Jerry Dyer.

Chaltraw said in a response to GV Wire that his letter to Arias was appropriate citing rules of professional conduct exempting public officials.

Janz cited Bar Association rules of professional conduct stating that “a member shall not communicate directly or indirectly about the subject of the representation with a party the member knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter.”