4541. (Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 303, Sec. 579.)

(a) Appointing an authorized representative for persons with developmental disabilities according to all of the following:

(1) To ensure the protection of civil and service rights of persons with developmental disabilities, the state council may appoint a representative to assist the person in expressing his or her desires and in making decisions and advocating his or her needs, preferences, and choices, when the person with developmental disabilities has no parent, guardian, or conservator legally authorized to represent him or her and the person has either requested the appointment of a representative or the rights or interests of the person, as determined by the state council, will not be properly protected or advocated without the appointment of a representative.

(2) When there is no guardian or conservator, the individual’s choice, if expressed, including the right to reject the assistance of a representative, shall be honored. If the person does not express a preference, the order of preference for selection of the representative shall be the person’s parent, involved family members, or a volunteer selected by the state council. In establishing these preferences, it is the intent of the Legislature that parents or involved family members shall not be required to be appointed guardian or conservator in order to be selected. Unless the person with developmental disabilities expresses otherwise, or good cause otherwise exists, the request of the parents or involved family members to be appointed the representative shall be honored.

(3) Pursuant to this section, the state council shall appoint a representative to advocate the rights and protect the interest of a person residing in a developmental center for whom community placement is proposed pursuant to Section 4803. The representative may obtain the advocacy assistance of the regional center clients’ rights advocate.

(b) Conducting public hearings and forums and the evaluation and issuance of public reports on the programs identified in the state plan, as may be necessary to carry out the duties of the state council.

(c) Identifying the denial of rights of persons with disabilities and informing the appropriate local, state, or federal officials of their findings, and assisting these officials in eliminating all forms of discrimination against persons with developmental disabilities in housing, recreation, education, health and mental health care, employment, and other service programs available to the general population.

(d) Reviewing and commenting on pertinent portions of the proposed plans and budgets of all state agencies serving persons with developmental disabilities including, but not limited to, the State Department of Education, the Department of Rehabilitation, and the State Department of Developmental Services, and local agencies to the extent resources allow.

(e) (1) Promoting systems change and implementation by reviewing the policies and practices of publicly funded agencies that serve or may serve persons with developmental disabilities to determine if the programs are meeting their obligations, under local, state, and federal laws. If the state council finds that the agency is not meeting its obligations, the state council may inform the director and the governing board of the noncomplying agency, in writing, of its findings.

(2) Within 15 days, the agency shall respond, in writing, to the state council’s findings. Following receipt of the agency’s response, if the state council continues to find that the agency is not meeting its obligations, the state council may pursue informal efforts to resolve the issue.

(3) If, within 30 days of implementing informal efforts to resolve the issue, the state council continues to find that the agency is not meeting its obligations under local, state, or federal statutes, the state council may conduct a public hearing to receive testimony on its findings.

(4) The state council may take any action it deems necessary to resolve the problem.

(f) Reviewing and publicly commenting on significant regulations proposed to be promulgated by any state agency in the implementation of this division.

(g) Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of appeals procedures established in this division.

(h) Providing testimony to legislative committees reviewing fiscal or policy matters pertaining to persons with developmental disabilities.

(i) Conducting, or causing to be conducted, investigations or public hearings to resolve disagreements between state agencies, or between state and regional or local agencies, or between persons with developmental disabilities and agencies receiving state funds. These investigations or public hearings shall be conducted at the discretion of the state council only after all other appropriate administrative procedures for appeal, as established in state and federal law, have been fully utilized.