Sonoma Land Trust

Governor Proposes Continued Funding for SDC in 2015-2016 State Budget

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January 13, 2015:

Governor Proposes Continued Funding for SDC in 2015-2016 State Budget to Cover Program Improvements

On January 9th, Governor Brown released his Draft 2015-2016 State Budget. In a published Budget Summary, the following information is provided about what we can expect for funding allocations for developmental centers in general, and for SDC in particular:

Department of Developmental Services

The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) provides consumers with developmental disabilities a variety of services and supports that allow them to live and work independently or in supported environments. California is the only state providing developmental services as an individual entitlement. DDS serves approximately 288,000 individuals with developmental disabilities in the community and 1,100 individuals in state‑operated developmental centers (DCs). For 2015‑16, the Budget includes $5.7 billion ($3.3 billion General Fund) for support of the Department.

Certification Issues

  • The Budget includes $21.4 million ($11.6 million General Fund) and 179.5 positions for costs related to the ongoing implementation of Program Improvement Plans at the Sonoma, Fairview, and Porterville Developmental Centers.
  • The federal government, through the state Department of Public Health, has determined that certain units at the Sonoma Developmental Center are non-compliant with federal licensing and certification requirements and should be decertified, thereby becoming ineligible for federal funding. This ruling is being appealed, but if the appeal is not successful the state will have to back-fill approximately $33 million in lost federal funds in 2014‑15, growing to $43 million in 2015‑16. In addition, the Porterville and Fairview Developmental Centers are implementing federally required Program Improvement Plans to maintain annual eligibility for approximately $50 million in federal funds.

For more detailed information, see the January 2015 Department of Developmental Services Governor’s Budget Highlights.

Introducing the ‘Transform SDC’ Project

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January 13, 2015:

In January 2014, the State of California announced plans to “fundamentally transform” the remaining state-operated development centers in California. What was once a network of 21 centers housing over 13,400 residents with developmental and intellectual disabilities has been reduced to four facilities with 1,335 clients. The Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) is the largest of the remaining facilities, and it is recognized as a critical economic, social and environmental resource for Sonoma County.

This blog site is for everyone who cares about the Sonoma Developmental Center. The Sonoma Land Trust is hosting this site and, in partnership with the County of Sonoma, the Parent Hospital Association, the Sonoma Ecology Center and the other members of the SDC Coalition, we are committed to building public awareness and creating tools for dialogue, learning and activism.

We don’t know what the future holds for SDC. The State of California owns and operates the property and they have not indicated what “transformation” of it will entail. Will the State propose closure of the Center? Will they propose sale of the property? Or can we develop a plan that will retain vital health care services, protect the site’s rich natural resource values and preserve the 1,000+ jobs for the dedicated health care professionals who currently work at SDC?

We believe that an informed and engaged citizenry can make a fundamental difference in the governmental decision-making process. That’s the history of Sonoma County. We like to compare SDC to San Francisco’s Presidio. In the months to come, we will be sponsoring a community dialogue to create a common vision and set of proposed uses for the SDC. You can follow our progress on this blog site and sign up for our eNews as well. We appreciate your interest and invite you to leave comments on this blog site and to share in our work to preserve this precious resource of Sonoma County.

John's Blog photo

Article by John McCaull, Land Acquisition Project Manager at the Sonoma Land Trust.

Protecting the Land and the People of Sonoma Developmental Center

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January 1, 2015:

Located in the “pinch-point” of the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor, nearly 800 of the Sonoma Developmental Center’s 1,000 acres are undeveloped and wild, making it critical habitat for wider-ranging mammals, like mountain lion, deer, bobcat, bear, and coyote. This is why Sonoma Land Trust is a leading partner of the effort to develop a community-centered plan for SDC.

The Sonoma Land Trust Fall Newsletter