The Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Public Health recently launched a webpage dedicated to providing more information to residents, clinicians, law enforcement, and other stakeholders about Senate Bill 43, a new law that expands the definition of “gravely disabled” under California’s Lanterman-Petris-Short Act.

Considered the biggest change to California conservatorship law in more than 50 years, in addition to mental health disorders, the new definition of grave disability adds individuals with a severe substance use disorder or a co-occurring mental health disorder and severe substance use disorder who are unable to provide for their basic personal needs for food, clothing, shelter, and added considerations around personal safety or necessary medical care.

“This modernization of conservatorship law is a major step to providing critical care to our most vulnerable residents and we have been diligently working to prepare for county-wide implementation on January 1, 2026,” said LACDMH Director Dr. Lisa H. Wong. “In partnership with the Department of Public Health, we are committed to both educating and providing life-saving care for County residents. These changes are critical to providing residents with the services and resources they need to thrive.”

To collaboratively launch Senate Bill 43, LACDMH and DPH partnered to enhance and increase public awareness and education of the upcoming changes through downloadable materials, social media posts, and community outreach presentations. Materials are available in several threshold languages, including English, Spanish, Korean, Armenian, Tagalog, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese.

Senate Bill 43 passed in 2023 and amended the LPS Act to provide better care to individuals facing mental health and severe substance use challenges. The new law is part of a statewide effort to modernize California’s mental health and substance use disorder services.

LACDMH and DPH are hosting community education events with Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) ADA support and ASL, Korean and Spanish translations. The sessions are hosted by LACDMH’s Service Area Leadership Teams (SALT) and Underserved Cultural Communities (UsCC). The public is invited to learn more about Senate Bill 43 and its impacts by attending any of these community meetings below:

Thursday, Oct. 9
2 to 4 p.m.

Service Area 3 Leadership Team
Meeting Link: Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting
Email: salt3@dmh.lacounty.gov

Thursday, Oct. 14
1 to 2:30 p.m.

Joint Outreach & Engagement
In-Person Only Meeting
155 Occidental Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. 90026
Email: communitystakeholder@dmh.lacounty.gov

Thursday, Oct. 16
1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Service Area 4 Leadership Team
Meeting Link: Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting
Email: salt4@dmh.lacounty.gov

Tuesday, Oct. 28
3 to 5 p.m.

Service Area 5 Leadership Team Virtual Meeting
Meeting Link: Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting
Email: salt5@dmh.lacounty.gov

Thursday, Nov. 6
10 a.m. to noon

Black & African Heritage UsCC Virtual Meeting
Meeting Link: Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting
Email: bahuscc@dmh.lacounty.gov

Wednesday, Nov. 12
10 a.m. to noon

Access 4 All Virtual Meeting
Meeting Link: Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting
Email: access4alluscc@dmh.lacounty.gov