Media Advisory – April 7, 2015
Contact: Delia Serrano – (661) 889-8319
Community to ask Kern Regional Center CEO to resign over concern about lack of transparency, improper use of funds
Bakersfield, Calif. – Since January, California Department of Developmental Services consultants have been stationed at Kern Regional Center two days per week to monitor the agency’s ongoing operations and to provide guidance to the agency’s board. However, even with this direct intervention and monitoring, Kern Regional Center’s CEO, Board President, and Board continue to stubbornly deny that many of those problems identified by the Department of Developmental Services exist.
During the past year, an increasing number of Kern Regional Center stakeholders (including Kern Regional Center staff, and the agency’s vendors, families, and clients) have been expressed concerns about the budgetary priorities and administrative practices of Kern Regional Center’s current CEO, Duane Law, Kern Regional Center Board President, Susan Lara, and other members of the Kern Regional Center Board. Included among these concerns were indications of improper influence and spending of tax dollars. The relationship between Susan Lara and Duane Law has also been publically misrepresented.
Kern Regional Center is one in a system of 21 Regional Centers established under California’s Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act for the purpose of coordinating and, in many instances, directly funding for services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. While each Regional Center operates as a private non-profit agency, a state agency – the California’s Department of Developmental Services – is responsible for the proper budgetary oversight and for ensuring the legal and regulatory compliance of each Regional Center. Funding for Regional Centers is provided through both state and federal dollars.
What: Community asks for resignation of KRC leadership
Where: Kern Regional Center Board Room – 3200 N. Sillect Ave., Bakersfield
When: April 7, 5:30 p.m.
Additional documents can be found online:
Letter of No Confidence from the community:
https://www.seiu521.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/No-confidence-letter.pdf
Letter to Director Santi Rogers outlining workplace issues:
https://www.seiu521.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Response-from-Rogers-April-5.pdf
Letter to Director Santi Rogers from KRC rejecting the State findings:
https://www.seiu521.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Letter-to-Rogers-Feb-24.pdf
Original letter to KRC from State highlighting issues:
https://www.seiu521.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Letter-to-Lara-Dec-11.pdf
Letter to KRC from State highlighting issues:
https://www.seiu521.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Letter-to-Lara-Jan-30.pdf
Facebook images showing relationship between Lara and Law:
https://www.seiu521.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Facebook-post-1.jpg
https://www.seiu521.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Facebook-post-2.jpg
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Service Employees International Union, Local 521 represents 57,000 public- and nonprofit, private-sector workers in the central Bay Area region and in the Central Valley. Under a Community First vision, we are committed to making sure the needs of our community, and the vital services we provide our community, come first. We believe our communities thrive when residents, leaders and workers recognize that we are all in this together when it comes to our safety, health, and well-being.
