The Department of Developmental Services is planning to close Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona. The department didn't announce when the 24-hour facility would go dark.
In this letter to staff on Friday, Director Terri Delgadillo said that Lanterman's operating costs are the highest per patient of its five facilities statewide. It's also "one of the oldest facilities, and its infrastructure is in need of major repairs and capital improvements, all of which would require a significant investment of state funds over the next few years," Delgadillo said in the letter.
Click the following link for more information about Lanterman and how long it might take to close it down.
DDS also put out this press release. Neither the department's letter nor its release contain a projected savings figure, because those numbers haven't yet been calculated, according to department spokeswoman Nancy Lungren.
DDS has an April 1 deadline to submit a Lanterman shutdown plan to the Legislature, which can accept it, reject it or approve a modified version before the department can start moving out clients and staff during the 2010-11 budget year that starts July 1, Lungren said.
Lanterman's annual budget runs at about $116 million. It serves 398 clients and employs roughly 1,300 people, Lungren said. The staff includes 511 members of the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians, according to this union press release.
Closing it will take quite a bit of time. After DDS decided in 2004 to close its Bay Area Agnews Developmental Center, it took nearly five years to complete the process in keeping with government code. Click here for the Agnews closure documents.
Friday's Lanterman announcement follows last December's shutdown of Sierra Vista Developmental Center in Yuba City. The center employed 51 CAPT-represented workers and served 50 clients. Click here for our Sierra Vista reports.
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