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Governor Reagan signs the Lanterman Act, 1969
State Considers Closure of Lanterman Developmental Center
Guest host Rachael Myrow explores the proposal
to close the Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona,
California, home to nearly 400 people with developmental
disabilities. Many parties hold varying points of view
on the potential closure: parents who want Lanterman to
remain open; advocacy groups who want people to be
placed in more community-based facilities; and the
Department of Developmental Services, which is charged
with facilitating the closure during the current budget crisis.
Health Dialogues reached out to numerous lawmakers throughout California who are connected to the Lanterman Developmental Center and its possible closure. Below are statements from those who responded to our request for their thoughts on the issue.
State Senator Gloria McCleod (D-32)
Represents district where Lanterman is located
"My priority is ensuring that the needs of the Lanterman residents are fully addressed before the facility is closed. Closure can only occur when necessary services and supports are in place and each resident has transitioned into a community setting or to another developmental facility. I have had numerous discussions with the families of the residents, as well as with the professional staff who provide services, and I will continue to do so. While I neither support nor oppose the closure plan at this time, I am watching and listening to make sure that the Department fully complies with its obligation to the Lanterman community"
State Senator Mark Leno (D-3)
Chair of Senate subcommittee on Health and Human Services
"I'm sure there will be much discussion; the devil is in the details. What we'll be discussing is not just the idea of the closure, but the implementation of that closure? This is a multi-year process. This cannot be done overnight. Every one of these 393 residents currently at Lanterman will have their case handled in a very personalized fashion, with the medical needs attended to for that individual? We often hear of state departments and operations failing us on a regular basis. We can't imagine that the state could, in a very sensitive and caring fashion, deal with every single resident being placed into the community, but in fact we have done it. This is doable."
Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-1)
Member of State Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, Chair of Select Subcommittee on Disabilities
"This proposal at Lanterman is an accelerated proposal, and it's one that is really, I think, much more budget driven [than the Agnew closure], and therefore it's my understanding that their intention is that many of the clients in fact will be transferred to other developmental centers. But I will tell you, to the extent that they choose to move into the community - and they're allowed to do that as an alternative - we have to provide them with the supports to be able to make it in the community. It is an obligation of the state, under the Lanterman Act, to assure them of those services."
Assemblyman Jim Beall (D-24)
Member of State Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services
"I support the principle of the Lanterman Act that people with developmental disabilities should have the opportunity to live in the community whenever appropriate. I will want assurances that, as was done with Agnews, any closure of Lanterman Developmental Center will not happen until necessary services and supports are in place for each resident based on the individual planning team process."
