California Council 
    giving families a voice in public policy decisions
 

Advocacy Opportunities  
Key Policy Issues  

   




















 

 

 


 

Advocates Excel:
2009 Accomplishments

Celebrating our State Public Policy Successes:
Recap of 2009 Advocacy Accomplishments

While the State’s worsening budget deficit dealt a serious blow to the infrastructure and capacity of Alzheimer’s programs that we have helped build over the last twenty years, Association staff and volunteer advocates made significant progress in increasing visibility and awareness of the disease among policy makers and in advancing our long-term policy agenda.  We identified and cultivated four new advocate leaders among the ranks of the Legislature—Assembly Members Kevin de Leon and Mariko Yamada and Senators Mark Leno and Darrell Steinberg.

Unlike past years when we have tracked many pieces of legislation, advocates focused our state public policy efforts on several very strategic events and ensuring the State begins to prepare for the doubling of California families living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias by 2030.

We increased visibility with policy makers through two media events, two advocacy days and numerous message drops in the Capitol.

The motto this year was “Let them hear from us early and often.”  We began in February with a media event on the State Senate Floor in which three legislators participated—Senators Darrell Steinberg and Mark Leno and Assembly Member Mariko Yamada. Our advocates got to sit in the Senators’ desks as they witnessed release of the first-ever California Alzheimer’s Data Report.  This was the first time such an event had been held on the floor, and the event drew the attention of First Lady Maria Shriver’s Chief of Staff.  Media coverage was widespread, appearing on the front page of four California newspapers and Business Journals across the country.

The event was followed by our advocates from throughout the state fanning out to visit every legislator’s office as well as Governor Schwarzenegger’s.  Advocates asked for legislators to help promote the Alzheimer’s data report through posting the report on their site or linking to the report. Forty-one created yet more visibility with legislators and their constituents by posting on their websites or putting in their newsletters.

Three months later we were back.  Advocates convened for an Alzheimer’s Action Day in May and again visited every office with our budget messages.  This followed four weeks in which a written message had been hand-carried to every legislator’s Capitol office.

Finally, on World Alzheimer’s Day, we returned for a media event held in the Governor’s office to launch the State Alzheimer’s Plan.  More than forty advocates and health and aging services leaders gathered to hear former Speaker Willie Brown, Senator Elaine Alquist and Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshé talk about the importance of the Plan.

After a three-year campaign, we launched development of the State Alzheimer’s Disease Plan.

For the last three years, the Association’s number one policy goal for states has been development of state Alzheimer’s plans.  There are now more than twenty-six states that have started their plans, and half have completed them. 

In 2008 it appeared California’s efforts would be derailed by the worsening state budget deficit.  However, with leadership from Governor Schwarzenegger’s administration, the California Council exceeded our goal of raising $250,000 from a foundation grant and raised $277,000 from four foundations: The SCAN Foundation, The California Endowment, Archstone Foundation and The Gilbert Foundation.  This partnership between the Alzheimer’s Association, Administration and four of California’s leading foundations will also be a tremendous asset once the plan is completed and work begins to implement its policy recommendations.

Beyond the involvement of these four foundations, the Council was successful in promoting interest among a broad range of stakeholders who applied to be on the Task Force that will develop the state plan.  Leaders from California’s research and training institutions, providers throughout the continuum of care, all levels of health professionals and the workforce, county and state government officials, as well as family members were selected.  Volunteer and staff advocates from the Association will also serve.

Partnerships with the California Commission on Aging, California Compassionate Care Coalition, the California Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, County Welfare Directors Association and others are forming to be involved in different aspects of plan development.

We preserved the only source of state funding for Alzheimer’s research grants.

The Association sponsored AB 292 (Yamada), which extended the sunset for the Alzheimer’s Research Fund tax check-off to 2015.  This fund yields about $500,000 annually in taxpayer contributions that are distributed as grants to California researchers.  More than $9.8 million has been raised since the fund was created in 1988.

Up until this year, funds from the tax check-off were matched by funds from the State, however, all of those funds were eliminated in the state budget by the Legislature.  It will become more critical than ever that Alzheimer’s advocates promote contributions to the tax check-off in order to ensure the research momentum is continued.

We gave early stage advocates given new opportunities to have their voices heard.

With our success in enacting SB 491 (Alquist—State Plan bill), two members with early stage Alzheimer’s were added to the State Alzheimer’s Advisory Committee.  This committee meets quarterly and advises Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshé on Alzheimer’s programs and policies.  In September, the Secretary appointed Susan Franklin (Los Angeles) and Doralee Heisler (Eureka) to the Committee.

2009 also saw inclusion of two early stage advocates on the California Council—Susan Franklin and Robert Durham.  In addition, the Council ensured the media events announcing release of the California Alzheimer’s data report in February and launch of the State Alzheimer’s Plan in September included Susan Franklin as a speaker.

 Thank you to all our volunteer and staff advocates who made our 2009 advocacy successes possible.


California Council of the Alzheimer's Association
921 Eleventh Street, Suite 601
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-447-2731 ·  916-447-2741 ( FAX)
  24 / 7  Helpline 1-800-272-3900