DRC is saddened by the loss of disability rights activist Judy Heumann who was considered the “mother of the disability rights movement” because of her longtime advocacy for the disability community.

Disability Rights California is deeply concerned by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors’ 3-2 vote to terminate the County’s contract with Dominion Voting Systems, Inc. (Dominion). Under this contract, Dominion provides the voting system used in the County’s elections.

Disability Rights California is disheartened by the country’s significant increase in police violence. Our communities experienced the deadliest year of police violence in 2022, which has continued to grow in 2023.

In the wake of the tragic events in Colorado Springs, CO, Disability Rights California affirms its solidarity with the LGBTQIA2S+ community and mourns the lives lost at Club Q.  

We also mourn individuals whose lives were stolen by acts of violence against transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and two-spirit people throughout 2022. 

Disability Rights California joins the disability community in mourning the loss of Lois Curtis, who passed away on November 3, 2022. Lois was a trailblazing advocate whose legacy represents justice and equality.  Because of her efforts to fight disability discrimination, millions of people with disabilities can live, work, and receive services in their own homes and communities. 

Behind every effort to take choice, autonomy, and control away from a historically marginalized group are the assumptions that only certain people are entitled to make decisions for themselves, and that a dominant group should get to determine what’s best for everybody else.    

Disability Rights California (DRC) condemns the mass shooting that took place on May 14th, 2022, in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, killing ten Black individuals and wounding another three, one Black person and two white individuals.  The person who committed this crime has admitted to being a proponent of white supremacy and intentionally chose the location because of the high percentage of Black individuals who live there.  

Today, Governor Newsom released the revised 2022-23 budget plan proposal including costs associated with the new Community Assistance, Recover and Empowerment (CARE) Court. 

Disability Rights California strongly opposes SB 1338 (Umberg) and urges Governor Newsom to not put significant funds into a court-ordered system for involuntary mental health treatment which has no real means to help people out of homelessness in the long run. In fact, it will do more harm because studies show forced treatment lessens the likelihood of people seeking voluntary treatment in the future.

Disability Rights California defends, advocates for, and supports the freedom of individuals with disabilities to make their own choices about healthcare and decisions over their own bodies. Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, and overturning Roe v. Wade would risk the reproductive rights of millions. The reversal would also disproportionately negatively impact the most vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, people of color, people living in poverty, and those without the means to travel.

(Sacramento, CA) – With Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal for a so-called "CARE Court" set to be heard by the legislature this week, and after more than 40 advocacy groups including ACLU California Action, Disability Rights California, and Western Center on Law & Poverty submitted resounding opposition to its related bill, SB 1338 (Umberg & Eggman), advocates say fundamental questions remain unaddressed by the administration and bill