Senator presses CDSS on Tulare County residential care failures after 53 complaints; department says license surrendered and investigation is ongoing
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Summary
Senator Grove pressed CDSS about a Tulare County residential care facility where county officials removed 22 seniors after 53 complaints; CDSS said the license was surrendered in October 2025, the department assisted with resident relocation, and it is conducting an internal review and may pursue administrative action.
A heated exchange during the Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 3 focused on alleged neglect at a residential care facility in Tulare County and whether the state licensing system failed to prevent prolonged harm to residents.
Senator Grove recounted material she received from Tulare County alleging 53 complaints to the department with no timely action and said the county ultimately rescued 22 seniors from the facility in November, describing reports of severe unsanitary conditions and infestations. "You guys had to go in and get them," she told CDSS representatives, pressing the department to explain how complaints could "fall through the cracks."
Claire Ramsey, Chief Deputy Director at CDSS, acknowledged the gravity of the allegations, confirmed the license was surrendered by the licensee in October 2025 and said the department worked with Tulare County and the long‑term care ombudsman on resident relocation. Ramsey said an internal review is underway and emphasized the department's authority to take administrative action even after a license surrender: "the department does have authority and we can follow‑up if there are additional public actions that are shareable with you, senator," she said, adding the state can pursue actions to prevent a licensee from opening elsewhere.
Grove pressed for clarity on the complaint intake and investigation process and whether licensing staff had performed inspections; CDSS said the bureau receives complaints, routes them to regional offices and is required to perform in‑person inspections within 10 days of complaint intake. Ramsey said some complaints initially were found unsubstantiated and later were re‑reviewed and substantiated and that the department is reviewing what went wrong in this case.
CDSS told the committee it is not aware of other similar incidents currently in its licensing programs and committed to providing follow‑up information to Senator Grove about the investigation and whether administrative enforcement actions will be taken.