The Assembly Health and Judiciary Committees held a joint informational hearing on December 15 to explore issues related to Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act conservatorships for individuals who are found to be gravely disabled by a judge.  

The nine-hour hearing included comments from CSAC; the County Behavioral Health Directors Association; the California Association of Public Administrators, Public Guardians, and Public Conservators; persons with lived experience related to LPS conservatorships; lawyers; hospitals; and labor representatives.

The key themes from the broad array of stakeholders included the critical need for housing off all kinds for LPS conservatees, the need for state funding for county public guardians and conservators to manage conservatorship cases, and frustration with the lack of data available on LPS cases and outcomes.

We recommend reviewing the agenda and comprehensive briefing paper produced by committee staff for more information. The Legislative Analyst’s Office also produced a short brief on funding for LPS conservatorships. 

CSAC will continue to engage closely with counties, affiliates, and legislators on this priority issue. Should you have any questions, please contact Farrah McDaid Ting, Senior Legislative Representative, at fmcting@counties.org.