ARCA says regional centers are implementing consistency measures; commissioners press on governance and disparities
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Summary
The Association of Regional Center Agencies told the commission it represents 21 nonprofit regional centers and is leading standardization efforts, while commissioners pressed ARCA on board governance, perceived conflicts of interest, and lingering expenditure disparities by race and residence.
Amy Westling, executive director of the Association of Regional Center Agencies, told the Little Hoover Commission that ARCA'9s members have implemented standardized intake categories, reporting and training elements to improve consistency across 21 nonprofit regional centers.
Westling said regional centers are managing nearly $7,000,000,000 in federal funds and represent about 900,000 individuals and their families in California. She described ARCA'9s role in convening discipline groups, sharing best practices and developing onboarding topics and competence standards for service coordinators.
Commissioners pressed Westling about three recurring concerns raised in public testimony: governance and potential conflicts of interest on regional center boards, whether executive directors influence board selection, and how ARCA'9s consensus approach affects member centers that disagree with association positions. Westling said board nominating committees and voting structures limit any single executive'9s control, described training for board members, and said ARCA'9s bylaws and a standards-and-practices committee govern legislative positions and conflicts.
On disparities, Westling acknowledged top-line spending differences across ethnic groups but said much of the variance is explained by age and place of residence: adults living outside the family home receive higher per-person spending than those living at home. She said when analysts control for those factors, the gap narrows and cited a 12% difference for adults living at home. ARCA defended efforts on standardized vendorization and data collection and said the department'9s trailer-bill language and directives are driving further standardization.
Commissioners asked for more granular data and recommended ARCA provide clearer documentation of member dues and the association'9s decision-making processes. No formal policy change was made at the hearing; ARCA committed to provide additional information to commission staff.