Most facility staff left Valley Springs Manor after CCL ordered the facility closed. However, CCL made no provision for moving residents to alternate locations. A licensing analyst knowingly left twelve residents in the care of a janitor and a cook. The Contra Costa Times followed the story and called for accountability.
Further impetus for the hearings came from coverage by the San Diego Union Tribune and the California Healthcare Foundation (CHCF) Center for Health Reporting.
The U-T and the CHCF Center for Health Reporting in September chronicled 27 deaths as a result of abuse or neglect. The series revealed regulatory weaknesses including a maximum fine of $150, even for violations resulting in death, and inspections that can take place every five years — less often than in other states.This Examiner interviewed the director of Sunny Place of Stockton (San Joaquin County) after the facility was assessed a $150 civil penalty for the wrongful death of resident Maria Jordanou. The director said she did not appeal the citation because, “It was trivial.”
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California Legislative Hearings on Elder Abuse in Assisted Living