Riebli resigns from hospital board

Citing pressing business concerns, and satisfied with what he has accomplished during three years of service, Arnie Riebli resigned last week from the board of directors of the Sonoma Valley Health Care District.
Riebli told The Sun that his resignation wasn’t a snap decision, but something that he’d thought through carefully over the past six months.
“It’s an end to a process that I started back when the hospital board was considering upwards of a million dollars to build a new hospital,” he said.” “I’m satisfied with what I’ve accomplished while on the board and that I’ve come to the right conclusion for myself, my family and my employees.”
Chairman Bill Boerum said Riebli’s candor and his strong sense of discipline will be missed. “We were not always in complete agreement on policy, but Arnie was always forthright,” said Boerum. “You always knew where he stood on issues.”
Riebli made the announcement unexpectedly, reading a statement during the public comments item on Wednesday night’s agenda. Boerum, who had been recruited to the board by Riebli, thanked him for his work and leadership, as did Board Member Dr. Dick Kirk. “Arnie, I salute you,” said Kirk. “Your focus on fiscal responsibility and what’s best for the community has been very valuable.”
Riebli’s Sunrise Farms, an egg industry leader, has been “turned upside down” by passage of Proposition 2, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act. The bill’s ambiguous and confusing language makes compliance difficult, demanding more of his time to run the business, he said. He is also strenuously working to amend or overturn the law.
“Since the ruling, I’ve been meeting almost full time with producers and legislators from across the country to bring some sort of resolution to the situation at hand,” he said. “Next week I’ll be in Washington, D.C. presenting information to the Senate health committee and discussing animal welfare as it pertains to eggs,” said Riebli. “Fighting this requires a big commitment.”
Riebli is a fourth-generation Sonoma County rancher. He studied business at the University of San Francisco and spent his early years on dairy and chicken ranches in Cotati and then Penngrove. His Sunrise Farms now produces more than 365 million eggs a year. In April. Riebli was named Outstanding Rancher of the North Bay by the Sonoma County Fair Board of Directors.
As for hospital board, Boerum said, “Our job now is to find a replacement that can fill his shoes.” The board has 60 days to fill the seat of Riebli, who resigned last week to pay more attention to pressing business concerns. The process begins with letters of interest to the board, due by July 31, and continues with applicant interviews and the naming of Riebli’s successor during a special board meeting on August 12. The appointee will complete Riebli’s term, which runs through the end of next year, and be eligible for re-election in 2010.
For Boerum, that candidate’s qualifications would demonstrate an interest in the hospital, community leadership and special talents or capabilities that would serve the board well. “We have a mission to provide health care to the community,” Boerum said. “We’re in this to make the hospital work.”