In The Politics of Autism, I discuss services for people with disabilities.
Regional centers are private nonprofits that contract with California's Department of Developmental Services to coordinate or provide services for people with developmental disabilities. The 21 regional centers help disabled people and their families find and access a variety of services.
Regional centers have had many problems. There are great spending disparities among them. Access to services is very uneven.
http://www.autismpolicyblog.com/2022/05/inequitable-access-in-california.html allowing nearly 450,000 people with disabilities to access certain records and information related to their care for the first time.
The bill, AB 1147, passed the state Assembly and Senate without opposition at the end of August, after a 19-month fight in which many of its accountability measures were stripped out. The most impactful remaining provision would make the 21 nonprofit organizations throughout the state, called “regional centers,” subject to the California Public Records Act (PRA), a law that requires the public disclosure of government records when requested.
Proponents of the bill argue the regional centers perform a public function and are entirely funded by state dollars and should, therefore, be subject to the PRA. However, the centers that oppose the bill say that complying with it would strain an already cash-strapped system and could lead to accidental disclosures of personal information.
California’s developmental disability system operates with a budget of more than $15 billion, serving Californians with a range of conditions, including autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and epilepsy. All funding and services flow through the regional centers, which connect people with disabilities to various service providers.
The governor is expected to sign or veto the bill by Sept. 26.
