Getting Into Action

 Late last month, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed, with a 4-1 vote, a motion that asked the California Legislature to alter the way the state defines “gravely disabled.” The motion was put forth by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Mark Ridley-Thomas after Supervisor Barger spent time on skid row and saw the tragic medical conditions of the many homeless who inhabit the neighborhood.
In response, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago and I have introduced AB 1971, which aims to expand officials’ ability to help those who are in a severe medical condition where the lack of treatment may result in substantial physical harm or death.
This is a much-needed solution; since 2013 the number of homeless who have died on the streets of Los Angeles County has nearly doubled, with 831 deaths reported in 2017.
My colleagues in the Assembly and on the board of supervisors believe many of these deaths are preventable, and our goal is to do just that – to prevent them. No one deserves to die on the street without having the option of care.
Under current law, officials can only take people into treatment, without consent, if they are deemed a danger to themselves or others or fall under the definition of “gravely disabled.” While the definition was originally drafted to address the needs of individuals who were unable to care for themselves, it doesn’t take into account an individual’s inability to understand the impact of refusing medical treatment. This law has been a frustrating limitation for many authorities who have had to watch those who are clearly suffering from mental illness and additional life-threatening medical conditions without any ability to get them into treatment.
However, this law, created by the 1967 Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, originated for good reasons. Before this Act, which was written by legendary State Senator Nicholas Petris and landmark La Cañada Flintridge Assemblymember Frank Lanterman, the state had a horrific practice of involuntarily placing people with developmental disabilities, mental illness and chronic substance abuse issues into state hospitals for an indefinite period of time. This late 1960s piece of bipartisan legislation set the course, in a good way, for how we, as a state, view those with mental illness and disabilities – as our own.
Yet, the law had unintended consequences. The Act’s own author, progressive Sen. Petris, admitted in an interview in 1989 that it became impossible to help people when they really need it who are not in a position to seek treatment themselves.
There are a number of valid concerns from opponents of any legislation that would expand officials’ ability to take people into treatment. It should be clear that none of us are intent on going back to the practices we had before 1967. Our one and only goal is to save lives.
California, and much of the nation, is in the midst of a homelessness epidemic, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in any of our lifetimes. In order to solve it, we must rely upon the success of a wide-range of measures being put forth at the city, county, and state levels to combat the systemic challenges of the crisis. AB 1971 is a piece of that, but an important one at that, because it will save lives.
When a person dies on the streets, it affects all of us, whether we see it or not. We are responsible for our neighbors; we are all Californians. Now is the time for us to take action and face the challenges of the homelessness epidemic head-on.
In order to make sure that this legislation does that, in the most efficient and fairest way possible, we are going to need everyone in on the conversation. I am looking to hear from all of you; your experiences, your knowledge and your opinion.
Please feel free to reach out to my district office to share your thoughts on this bill. I look forward to you being part of this conversation.
District Office: (818) 558-3043

Laura Friedman represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.