When he didn't return our calls our journey to catch up with Doctor B.A. Jinadu took us to San Diego. Jinadu still owes the state $159,000 as part of a Medi-Cal settlement.
He's working at a chiropractic clinic. We wanted to know why Jinadu hasn't paid the state but still collects his $84,000 dollar pension each year.
His chiropractic colleague told us "he had an associate that screwed him. That's all I know about it." Chiropractor Erik Rosenburg didn't want to be interviewed on camera but said Dr. Jinadu must be just scraping by with the little money he makes from giving shots and seeing the occasional patient.
So we went to this Chula Vista home Jinadu bought in June 2007 for just over $1 million. Jinadu wasn't there either and his wife said he was out of town.
The state also has been chasing after Jinadu---putting a lien against his tax return last year. But Kern Taxapayer's Mike Turnipseed thinks the couple thousand dollars the state collected is a drop in the bucket compared to Jinadu's outstanding bill. Turnipseed likens pensions to a protected class. "You know they are good for your life. There is nothing else like being a public employee in California being on retirement.
And he blames legislators who voted the protections, but also the public for not speaking up. "We only can blame ourselves, because we elect the representatives who represent us," adds Turnipseed.
We wanted to talk with the Department of Healthcare Services about the state's frustration in collected what's owed, but spokesman Tony Cava declined.
The department provided us with the amount Jinadu still owes and then told us quote: We have already provided all of the information we have on this issue. We appreciate your request, but we respectfully decline an on-camera interview.
Jinadu was never convicted of a crime. The way the law stands now, pensions are protected unless you skip out on alimony or child support. "That's true. That's how it works. The benefits are not subject to liens or levies," says Anne Holdren, kern county employees retirement association.
And that has Turnipseed thinking the system is unfair. "If they can't collect on it, you can go broke and the bank is stuck. Everyone else pays for it."
