Tarzana Treatment Centers CEO Earns $2.36 Million While Whistleblowers Cite Billing Pressure

TARZANA, Calif. -- Albert Senella, the president and CEO of Tarzana Treatment Centers, pulls in $2.36 million a year running the city-supported addiction treatment nonprofit, according to tax records reviewed by The California Post. The organization, which offers medical detox, residential treatment, mental healthcare, and recovery programs, has seen its annual revenue nearly triple from $76.6 million in 2019 to $224.1 million last year.

Whistleblower Accounts

Two former employees told The California Post that staff faced intense pressure to generate billable hours. Both independently described pressure to reach between 390 and 420 billable minutes per day with state and private insurance companies.

One employee, who recently quit after a year on the job, said billing pressure consumed his workday rather than helping those battling addiction. "I'm not thinking of how to help people. I'm thinking, 'How am I going to bill you?'" he said.

Another former employee, identified as Pat and who asked that her last name be withheld, described workers being sent into detox units before patients had finished their required 30-day detoxes. "They were in the first day, first hours of detox. They're not in their right mind," Pat said. Pat claims her caseload ballooned to more than 160 people, while most organizations handle 25 people per staff member. She called the workload "physically and humanly impossible."

Internal documents and text messages between employees corroborate these accounts. "She is telling me to lie about my billing," one employee wrote about her supervisor. In another exchange, a worker claimed staff were told to change how they billed or risk losing their jobs.

Taxpayer Funding

Taxpayers from the City of Los Angeles poured $10.8 million into the treatment center nonprofit since 2021, according to figures from the City Administrative Officer using controller records. In 2025, the city paid the company $2.17 million and another $1.8 million so far in 2026.

The money comes from the Los Angeles Housing Department, the Department on Disability, the Library, the Mayor's Office, and Council Districts 3 and 4. One current Council District 3 contract alone authorizes up to $670,242 for the treatment center through June 2027, with roughly $171,000 paid so far.

Los Angeles County has also pumped millions into the organization despite audit findings. A County Controller audit in 2022 found "significant fiscal and administrative non-compliance issues" in a Department of Mental Health contract that paid the treatment center business about $26 million over two years. The center was found to have improperly allocated payroll expenses for seven employees, and nine of 13 employees lacked the required criminal-background clearances.

Despite being placed on a warning database following the audit, the nonprofit continued receiving millions through government contracts, including a $5.65 million increase connected to a Department of Mental Health contract in 2024.

CEO Response

Senella's compensation has climbed with the nonprofit's profits: from $1.09 million in 2020 to $1.84 million in 2024, before a 28 percent increase last year to $2.36 million. The next-highest-paid executive at Tarzana Treatment Centers collected roughly $900,000, while several other top employees received more than $300,000 each.

There are no allegations that Tarzana Treatment Centers improperly billed patients or Medi-Cal, or collected taxpayer money for services that were not provided.

Senella responded in writing: "Executive compensation at Tarzana Treatment Centers is determined annually utilizing the detailed process set forth in Treasury Regulations to establish a rebuttable presumption of reasonableness."

Context

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who launched investigations into alleged nonprofit and public corruption during his time in office, commented on the story. "Hearing news like this is sad knowing that nonprofits are starved of funds as they go about serving the people," Villanueva said.

Pat stressed that Tarzana does actually do meaningful work helping people get treatment, but said the push for billable services began overwhelming the mission. "We came here to help people, not to make a dollar," the former employee said. "Millions of dollars going to one person that can be used to really do some different good, like to really help people."

This article was generated with AI assistance.