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Assembly committee advances bill to address abandoned endowment‑care cemeteries and create an abandonment grant program
Summary
SB 777 would require the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau to convene a working group and establish a grant program, funded by increased licensing fees, to support transfer or rehabilitation of abandoned endowment‑care cemeteries; the committee moved the bill out with amendments to a study and working‑group process.
Senator Richardson presented SB 777 to the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on Oct. 26, 2025, proposing a statutory process to identify abandoned private cemeteries with endowment care accounts and to convene a stakeholder working group to recommend solutions by an accelerated deadline.
Richardson said the bill responds to rising cases of privately owned cemeteries falling into disrepair after owners walk away, leaving families unable to access gravesites and leaving grounds neglected. He cited Lincoln Memorial Park in Carson and described common problems including overgrown grounds, stolen markers, and insufficient endowment funds whose interest does not cover maintenance costs.
SB 777 directs the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau (CFB) to convene a working group of stakeholders — including local governments, LAFCOs, the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties and urban and rural county representatives — to meet and report recommendations earlier than a previously scheduled working group in statute.
The bill author’s office described an “abandonment grant funding program” funded by a proposed 150% increase in licensing fees under the bureau’s authority, with 50% of the fee increase dedicated specifically to cemetery rehabilitation and long‑term viability; the bureau’s operations would also receive funding per the bill language as proposed and amended. Witnesses clarified some of these details during testimony and the author accepted committee amendments.
Local governments and industry participants described the problem and their positions. Carrie West, on behalf of the city of Compton, said the bill “establishes a clear statutory process for transferring responsibility of abandoned endowment care cemeteries to local agencies backed by regulatory oversight and financial assistance” and that it “does not place an unfunded mandate on local governments.”
Jerry Desmond of the Cemetery and Mortuary Association of California said the industry would remove its opposition and participate in the stakeholder process. County representatives, including from Marin, urged reforms beyond the study, such as requiring secure, low‑risk investments for endowment funds, inflation‑indexed contributions, earlier enforcement tools for the bureau and transition plans to maintain operations during enforcement actions.
Senator Richardson said the committee amendments and working group were a step forward and asked members for an “I” vote. The committee moved the bill as amended to the Committee on Local Government.
