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In what could lead to the most effective step forward in decades for the safety of people with disabilities and older adults, the Newsom Administration and the Department of Justice last week named a broad array of members to the new Elder and Disability Justice Coordinating Council.
“The goal of this coordinating council is to increase coordination and develop recommendations to prevent and address the abuse, neglect, exploitation, and fraud perpetrated against older adults and adults with disabilities,” the Administration announcement stated last week.
The 21-community advocacy members of the 34-member council include many with deep roots in, and extensive knowledge of, the disability community. One is Tony Anderson, Director of Valley Mountain Regional Center and former Executive Director of The Arc of California.
Most notable is that the Administration’s Master Plan for Aging, which created the council, specifically directs the council to consider far-reaching sets of recommendations from stakeholders, which would include the comprehensive recommendations previously submitted by 20 community groups and led by The Arc & UCP California Collaborative.
More information on the council is available at https://www.chhs.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Elder-Justice-Council-Background.pdf
The first quarterly meeting will be held on Friday, January 28 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.