2023 California Code › Health and Safety Code - HSC › DIVISION 2 - LICENSING PROVISIONS › CHAPTER 3.2 - Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly › ARTICLE 2 - Licensing › Section 1569.158.

1569.158. (a) A residential care facility for the elderly shall not prohibit the formation of a family council. If requested by a member of the resident’s family or the resident representative, the family council shall be allowed to meet in a common meeting room of the facility during mutually agreed-upon hours. A family council shall also be allowed to meet virtually or at an offsite location at its discretion.
(b) Facility policies on family councils shall in no way limit the right of residents and participants in a family council to meet independently with outside persons, including members of nonprofit or governmental organizations or with facility personnel during nonworking hours.
(c) For purposes of this section, “family council” means a meeting of family members, friends, or representatives of two or more residents to confer in private without facility staff.
(d) A family council shall be provided with adequate space on a prominent bulletin board or other posting area for the display of meeting notices, minutes, information, and newsletters.
(e) A person other than a family member, friend, or resident representative, including facility staff, may attend a family council meeting, but only at the invitation of the family council.
(f) If a family council submits written requests, concerns, or recommendations, the facility shall respond in writing regarding any action or inaction taken in response to the requests, concerns, or recommendations within 14 calendar days and shall detail its rationale for that response.
(g) (1) If a facility has a family council, the facility shall inform the resident and the resident’s representatives, family members, or other individuals designated by the resident or identified during the admission process of the existence of the family council. The facility shall provide the resident and those family members, friends, and resident representatives with the name and contact information of the family council representative, as designated by the family council, in writing, prior to or within five business days after the resident’s admission or the resident’s representative, family member, or other individual is designated or identified. When family council meeting information is provided by the family council, the facility shall include notice of family council meetings in routine mailings to those family members, friends, and resident representatives. The notice shall include the time, place, and date of meetings, and the name and contact information of the family council representative, as designated by the family council.
(2) If a facility does not have a family council, the facility shall provide, upon admission of a new resident, written information to the resident’s family members, friends, or resident representatives identified during the admission process of their right to form a family council.
(3) Upon request, and with the permission of the family council, the facility shall share the name and contact information of the designated representative of the family council with the long-term care ombudsman program.
(h) (1) A facility shall provide the family council with the names, email addresses, and other contact information for each resident’s representatives, family members, or other individuals designated by the resident if the person has provided written consent specifying the contact information that may be shared with the family council.
(2) The facility must inform the identified family members, friends, and representatives of their right to have their contact information shared with the family council and their right to consent or withhold consent to have their contact information shared with the family council pursuant to paragraph (1).
(i) If a facility has a family council and a licensed capacity of 16 or more, the facility shall appoint a designated staff liaison who shall be responsible for providing assistance to the family council and responding to written requests that result from family council meetings. A facility shall provide an alternate staff liaison as needed.
(j) A facility shall not willfully interfere with the formation, maintenance, or promotion of a family council, or with a family council’s participation in governmental surveys or inspection activities performed by any applicable departments or other governmental entities. For purposes of this subdivision, willful interference shall include, but shall not be limited to, discrimination or retaliation in any way against an individual as a result of their participation in a family council, refusal to publicize family council meetings or provide appropriate space for meetings or postings as required under this section, failure to respond to written requests, concerns, or recommendations by a family council as required under this section.
(k) (1) A violation of this section shall not be subject to Section 1569.40.
(2) A violation of this section shall constitute a violation of resident rights.
(3) A facility that violates this section shall be subject to a daily civil penalty of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) until the violation is corrected. A violation shall be deemed to have been corrected on the date the facility submits documentation of the correction to the department if the correction is verified by the department.
(Repealed and added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 821, Sec. 5. (AB 979) Effective January 1, 2024.)