The Legislature hereby finds and recognizes all of the following:
(a) Older adults constitute a fundamental resource of the state that previously has been undervalued and poorly utilized, and ways must be found to enable older adults to apply their competence, wisdom, and experience for the benefit of all Californians.
(b) There is a continuing increase in the number of older adults in proportion to the total population.
(c) Services to older adults are administered by many different agencies and departments at both the state and local level.
(d) Enhanced coordination reduces duplication, eliminates inefficiencies, and enhances service delivery for the consumer.
(e) The ability of the constantly increasing number of older adults in the state to maintain self-sufficiency and personal well-being with the dignity to which their years of labor entitle them and to realize their maximum potential as creative and productive individuals are matters of profound importance and concern for all of the people of this state.
(f) In June 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order No. N-14-19, calling for the creation of a Master Plan for Aging (MPA), which seeks to prepare local communities for the year 2030 when 10.8 million Californians—one in four residents—will be 60 years of age or older. The executive order affirms the priority of the health and well-being of older Californians and the need for policies that promote aging with dignity and independence.
(g) The state’s major demographic shift towards an older, more diverse population requires statewide systems and local structures that do all of the following:
(1) Offer, coordinate, and integrate increasingly complex social, medical, cognitive, and behavioral health supports.
(2) Respond to the needs of a growing number of older adults, people with disabilities, and family caregivers.
(3) Affirm the important values of race, ethnicity, language, culture, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
(h) In preparing for the aging of California’s population, the state seeks to eliminate disparities and improve access to services and supports to meet the needs of older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers.
(i) It is the intent of the Legislature to reform provisions of the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act related to area agencies on aging with respect to all of the following:
(1) Geography and demographics.
(2) Governance, including area agency on aging designations and planning service area boundaries.
(3) Programs and services.
(4) Performance measures.
(5) Funding sources and capacities.
(6) Public awareness.
(Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 337, Sec. 2. (SB 1249) Effective January 1, 2025.)