Press Releases & Statements

(LOS ANGELES, CA) - Thousands of Medi-Cal beneficiaries with significant disabilities will now be able to access affordable Medi-Cal care at home, rather than going to a nursing facility. In-home care provides greater stability and health outcomes for individuals and families, and it is cost-effective for the state; but it can be prohibitively costly to pay for out-of-pocket. As a result, married people with disabilities often have to make a draconian choice: impoverish themselves and their spouses or go to a nursing facility.

(Sacramento, CA) On January 13, 2020, on behalf of the nearly 3,700 people incarcerated in Sacramento County’s jails, Disability Rights California, Prison Law Office, and Cooley LLP secured final federal court approval of a settlement with the County to address the dangerous and unconstitutional conditions of the County’s jails. The settlement of this class action lawsuit, Mays v. County of Sacramento, E.D. Cal. No. 2:18-cv-02081-TLN-KJN (PC), resulted from an extensive investigation into jail conditions and years of intensive negotiations with the County.

SACRAMENTO, CA - The Sacramento City Unified School District (District) and plaintiffs suing the District for alleged discrimination against students based on race and disability asked the federal court to pause litigation so the parties may seek potential resolution through settlement.   

Sacramento, CA - The Board of Directors of Disability Rights California (DRC) is delighted to announce the selection of nationally-recognized disability rights attorney Andrew J. Imparato to serve as the new Executive Director of DRC beginning February 3, 2020. Imparato will succeed Catherine Blakemore, who is retiring after a long and successful career at the helm of DRC.

Concord, CA - This fall, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District begins implementation of a new partnership agreement with Disability Rights California, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation.

Pasadena, CA - A group of six brave Pasadena students have agreed to a settlement with the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) that will bring more inclusive programs and services to the District.

Suit follows years of documented disability and race discrimination by the District

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Sept. 6, 2019) – A coalition of nonprofit advocacy groups filed a lawsuit today against the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), Superintendent Jorge A. Aguilar, and others on behalf of the Black Parallel School Board and three students in the District. The suit alleges flagrant districtwide discrimination against students with disabilities, especially Black students.

Section 1557 of the ACA prohibits discrimination in health care on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability. 

Sacramento (August 13, 2019) Disability Rights California (DRC), the agency mandated by federal law to protect and advocate for Californians with disabilities opposes the “public charge” rule that the Trump Administration finalized yesterday, which threatens thousands of California residents’ access to healthcare and crucial benefits, and is particularly harmful and discriminatory against immigrants with disabilities. 

Disability Rights California report urges California to further reform school restraint and seclusion laws

(Sacramento, CA – August 13, 2019) The use of restraint and seclusion in schools can result in death and serious injury for children with disabilities. In 2018, California passed AB 2657, a DRC sponsored bill that provides basic protections against unnecessary and inappropriate behavioral restraints and seclusions.

Print-only Notices Result in Financial Penalties for Blind Taxpayers

San Francisco, CA - (July 25, 2019) - Berkeley businesswoman Karen Rose, who is blind, was about to throw away what she thought was junk mail when a friend noticed that it was from the IRS. It turned out to be a second notice that she owed nearly $25,000 in additional taxes. When she contacted the agency, she learned that she had also incurred an additional $1,500 in interest and penalties because she hadn’t responded to the first notice.

(Santa Ana, CA - July 23, 2019) Today, People’s Homeless Task Force, represented by Disability Rights California and Latham & Watkins, reached a class action settlement. As a result of the lawsuit filed February 7, 2018, the settlement with the County of Orange alleges that the county efforts connecting homeless individuals with the appropriate services failed to be accessible for people with disabilities and cited the experience of seven Riverbed residents.

(Sacramento, CA - June 28, 2019) This week, on behalf of the over 14,000 unaccompanied immigrant children in United States custody, Disability Rights California (DRC) published its findings and recommendations in response to a nearly year-long monitoring of nine Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) grantee facilities across the state of California. These nine ORR grantee facilities and programs contain approximately 300 beds for unaccompanied children. Many of these children experience trauma, symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and other mental health disabilities.

(Sacramento, CA - June 20, 2019) Today, on behalf of the nearly 4,000 people incarcerated in Sacramento County’s jails, Disability Rights California, Prison Law Office, and Cooley LLP reached a proposed settlement with the County to address the dangerous and unconstitutional conditions of the County’s jails. The settlement of this class action lawsuit, Mays v. County of Sacramento, E.D. Cal. No. 2:18-cv-02081-TLN-KJN (PC), which is subject to court approval, is a result of extensive negotiations.

San Francisco, Calif., (April 8, 2019) – A federal judge granted preliminary approval for settlement of a class action lawsuit that will enable children and youth with complex medical needs to get the in-home nursing they need to remain healthy and safe. The judge’s ruling will allow the state to inform over 4,000 affected families about the settlement, giving them a chance to weigh in before granting final approval.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – On Friday, civil rights groups prevailed in their lawsuit against Secretary of State Alex Padilla to expand voter registration at agencies in the state that serve people on public assistance and individuals with disabilities. San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Ethan P. Schulman ruled Padilla must require voter registration at additional agencies and contractors serving Californians throughout the state. More than 1.8 million Californians will benefit from the ruling.  

(Los Angeles, CA – March 5, 2019) An investigation by Disability Rights California (DRC) finds conditions at the Adelanto Detention Center, one of the largest privately operated immigration detention facilities in the United States, pose serious risks to people with mental illness and other disabilities.