Rajendra Desai

The Medical Board of California has accused a Santa Ana doctor, Rajendra Desai, of gross negligence for allegedly prescribing the wrong drugs, overprescribing drugs and general incompetence, especially when caring for seriously ill cancer patients. Deputy Atty. Gen. Heidi R. Weisbaum, who is seeking to revoke or suspend his medical license, said Friday that some of Desai's patients were given "too much chemotherapy," leaving them more depleted than before Desai's care began.

The Medical Board of California has accused a Santa Ana doctor, Rajendra Desai, of gross negligence for allegedly prescribing the wrong drugs, overprescribing drugs and general incompetence, especially when caring for seriously ill cancer patients. Deputy Atty. Gen. Heidi R. Weisbaum, who is seeking to revoke or suspend his medical license, said Friday that some of Desai's patients were given "too much chemotherapy," leaving them more depleted than before Desai's care began.

The City Council today is scheduled to decide the fate of a hotel under fire from neighbors who say it is a magnet for crime. The Lovitt Hotel was stripped of city permits at a Planning Commission hearing three months ago. The hotel's owner, Rajendra Desai, has appealed the commission's decision to the City Council.

The Medical Board of California, formerly known as the Board of Medical Quality Assurance, licenses physicians and other health professionals. The board also investigates complaints about medical care and issues disciplinary actions. The most serious penalties include license revocation, suspension and probation.

Dressed casually, standing in the morning sunshine packing the station wagon for a camping trip with his wife, son, two daughters and the family dog, Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan looks like neither the highest-ranking health official in New Mexico nor a man nearly killed by cancer a decade ago. In reality, Mullan, 43, is both. He oversees 3,300 employees and a budget of $160 million as secretary for health and environment to Gov. Tony Anaya, one of the nation's most controversial state house leaders.