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 12-28 *
Reaching Out to California State Treasurer Fiona Ma
Spectrum
Institute has sent a request to Fiona Ma, Treasurer of the
State of California, asking her to include a segment on
excessive attorney fees in a Town Hall forum she is sponsoring
on February 2, 2021. More info, click here. Update: A
letter was sent to the treasurer 12-30 expressing disappointment that the focus of
the Town Hall has been changed from its original intent.
It was supposed to be an opportunity for victims and families
to expose abuses within the probate conservatorship
system. Now the treasurer’s office and Assembly committee
staff have said they don’t want any testimony involving courts
or attorneys in conservatorship cases. The grass roots
advocates want a new and separate hearing on the dysfunctional
conservatorship system, the need for judicial accountability,
and methods to regulate excessive attorney fees. Whether
the treasurer will sponsor such a forum remains to be
seen.
 12-23 *
Podcast Internships Were Posted Today at Washington State
University
The Freedom Files -- a Pursuit of Justice Podcast -- is seeking interns to help with the
production and promotion of a new podcast that will be launched
in 2021. Two internship announcements were posted today
for students at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communications
at Washington State University. We are grateful for the
assistance of Angela Schweigert (photo) for helping us design
these internships so they would meet our needs and also satisfy
the requirements of the college. Angela is the college's For
information on the Production/Journalism Internship, click here. For information on the Strategic
Communications Internship, click here.
 12-21 * California Court of Appeal
Publishes Opinion and Removes Antiquated Terminology
The California Court of
Appeal has responded to two letters from Spectrum
Institute. The first letter asked the court to publish an important
decision regarding the rights of an conservatee not to be
forced to have unwanted visits with a parent. The second letter asked the court to remove offensive
terminology from the caption of the case. The court
granted both requests. For a copy of the order, click here. For a copy of the opinion, click here. The author of the opinion, Justice
Marsha P. Slough. (Photo)
 12-18 * Op-Ed: Ending Disability Stigmas in
Judicial Opinions
The Daily Journal
published a commentary today written by Thomas F. Coleman,
legal director of Spectrum Institute. It calls out a
recent appellate opinion in California that unnecessarily and
inappropriately used a derogatory term to label a woman with cerebral
palsy. To read the commentary on the newspaper’s website,
click here.
 12-13 * Tina Baldwin Appointed to Abuse
Workgroup of the Idaho Living Well Project
With a federal grant
from the Administration of Community Living, the Idaho Living
Well Project has formed a Quality Assurance Abuse and Neglect
Reporting and Monitoring Workgroup with key stakeholders across
the state. The goal of the workgroup is to protect individuals
with disabilities from, and ultimately prevent, abuse, neglect,
and exploitation by creating a self-advocate informed,
integrated, community-based reporting and monitoring as a
component of a larger quality assurance system. Tina Baldwin,
chairperson of the board of trustees of Spectrum Institute, has
been appointed to serve as a member of the workgroup.
 12-7 Request to the California Supreme
Court to "Depublish" an Appellate Opinion
Spectrum Institute sent
a letter today to the California Supreme Court asking the court
to delete an appellate opinion from the law books. The Court of
Appeal went out of its way to publish an opinion that
unfortunately, perhaps inadvertently, undermines the
constitutional and statutory requirement that a conservatorship
not be imposed on an adult unless less restrictive alternatives
have been considered and are found to be unworkable. This
opinion dismisses this important safeguard in way that sends
the wrong signal to judges and attorneys in California. To read
our letter, click here.
OTHER
NEWS . . .
- Spectrum Institute now has a Facebook
page. To visit the page, click here.
- An excellent article about the right to
counsel in guardianship restoration of rights proceedings
was published yesterday in the Voice of Experience – a
monthly e-newsletter of the American Bar
Association. To read the article, click here.
- Retired Superior Court Judge James P.
Gray ha written to the presiding judges of superior courts
in all 58 counties in California to remind them of
judicial duties to protect seniors and people with
disabilities who become involved in conservatorship
proceedings. For a copy of his letter, click here.
 The Spirit of Giving:
Tina Baldwin is Volunteering and Networking for Disability
Rights
As
chairperson of the board of trustees of Spectrum Institute,
Tina Baldwin communicates frequently with the executive
director about administrative matters as well as activities
pertaining to the organization’s projects. As director of the
newly-formed Mental Health Project, Tina is working to develop
a national network of mental health professionals to provide
ongoing advice and feedback to the project. Beyond her pro bono
work with Spectrum Institute, Tina volunteers with a variety of
other organizations and agencies. As a member of the ISAKI task
force (Idaho Sexual Assault Kit Initiative), Tina is the sole
representative to that agency promoting the interests of people
with disabilities. Tina is also a member of the Abuse and
Neglect Reporting and Monitoring Workgroup. This project is
sponsored by a grant from the federal Administration on
Community Living and is done in partnership with the Idaho
Council on Developmental Disabilities, Disability Rights Idaho,
and The Center on Disabilities and Human Development. She is
also an advisor to People First of Washington.
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