casa Community Advocacy Services Association, Inc.
1170 Coast Village Road, # 205, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
(805) 565-4820 fax (805) 969-8760 [email protected]

July 2, 1999

Governor Gray Davis
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Attention: Dario Frommer, Appointments Secretary

Re: Director/Deputy Director of the Department of Developmental Services

Dear Governor Davis:

I am president of CASA, a statewide grassroots advocacy organization of parents, family members, consumers and friends of people with developmental disabilities who live at home or in their natural communities. There are close to 150,000 such individuals in California. CASA's members and supporters are individuals of all ages, with diversified racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with different disability experiences. As a result of its diversity, CASA speaks with a broad representative voice on behalf of children and adults with developmental disabilities who live at home or in their natural communities.

We are concerned about the lack of a permanent appointment to head the Department of Developmental Services. There are qualified candidates both from out of state and candidates within the state. With regard to the out of state applicants, we support Phillip Campbell and Dr. Mary Cerreto for the positions of Director and Deputy Director of the Department of Developmental Services. Under separate cover of even date, I am also writing in support of the application of Nancy Gardner for the Directorship, as someone within the California system who can ably take up the vacant position.

Mr. Campbell and Dr. Cerreto are people who can guide California in establishing a responsive and cost-effective community services system for people with developmental disabilities, especially those now living in developmental centers who want to live more integrated lives. There is a diversity of opinion held by advocates in our system as to where people should live. These candidates can work with this diversity and work toward developing a model system which supports all people with developmental disabilities.

CASA Mission Statement: "Advocating for quality services in the community for people with developmental disabilities by

promoting partnerships, sharing knowledge and developing choices"

The candidates served as Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation. The commonwealth's developmental services system became a model system under their leadership. Mr. Campbell and Dr. Cerreto are dedicated to achieving the same goals if invited to California. Acting as a team, they have faced and resolved many of the issues which now confront California's developmental services system.

For example, one month after Cerreto joined the Massachusetts Department as Assistant Commissioner for Facilities Management, one of the commonwealth's developmental centers was put on decertification track by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). With her oversight and management, the developmental center retained certification on its survey exactly 60 days later and has achieved 98% to 100% active treatment ratings since then, sometimes with no cited deficiencies. During their administration, the seven developmental centers achieved between 96% and 100% active treatment ratings.

For another example, in 1993, Campbell and Cerreto restructured all the monitoring and oversight mechanisms in the Department to eliminate duplication and unnecessary paperwork, assure timely response to issues, include individuals and families in all aspects of the development and implementation of the new system, and focus on consumer-centered outcomes that individuals said were important to them: rights and dignity; individual choice and control; community membership; relationships; personal goals and achievements; and health, safety and economic security. Safety is the greatest concern for those of us whose children live in the community. A simple and effective quality assurance system is what we need.

The key to a model system is appropriate training and adequate compensation for the people who do the day-to-day work "where the rubber hits the road." Both Campbell and Cerreto support the training, professionalization and adequate compensation of staff who work directly with individuals with disabilities and have such a significant impact on their lives. In 1995, Campbell negotiated with the Office of the Governor and the Legislature for what is
now the fourth year of salary increases for staff, initially those making under $20,000 and now expanded to include staff making between $20,000 and $30,000 annually.

We appreciate your consideration of the appointments of Mr. Campbell and Dr. Cerreto to lead the California Department of Developmental Services.

Cordially,

Bruce MacKenzie, President