Residential care facilities for the elderly.

(1) Existing law, the California Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act, provides for the licensure of residential care facilities for the elderly by the State Department of Social Services. A violation of the act is a misdemeanor. Existing law requires the department to notify affected placement agencies and the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, as defined, whenever the department substantiates that a violation has occurred that poses a serious threat to the health and safety of any resident when the violation results in the assessment of any penalty or causes an accusation to be filed for the revocation of a license. This bill would require a licensed residential care facility for the elderly to provide a prescribed written notice to a resident, the resident's responsible party, if any, and the local long-term care ombudsman under specified conditions. The bill would prescribe civil penalties for violation of specified provisions. (2) Existing law requires a licensee of a licensed residential care facility for the elderly to take all reasonable steps to transfer affected residents safely as a result of the forfeiture of a license or the change of use of the facility pursuant to the department's regulations. This bill would require the licensee to take all reasonable steps to transfer affected residents safely as the result of the revocation of the license. (3) By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.