2008 Annual Report - Superior Court of California - County of Los ...

Probate
Although the Probate
Department is best
known for settling estates
of decedents, it also handles cases involving children, when their parents are unable to care for
them, and adults, who need someone else to manage their living arrangements and finances.
During the past fiscal year, there were 11,098 probate filings, and 5,060 of these involved
settling decedents’ estates. The remaining filings included 1,473 adult conservatorships and
1,487 children’s guardianships.
Trust proceedings are the fastest growing area of probate filings, totaling 1,634 during the
last fiscal year.
A recent California law mandating training and qualifications for professional conservators,
and increasing the Court’s oversight of conservatees, is significantly impacting probate
department operations.
Despite static funding, our probate investigations staff nearly doubled in size — and
contracted another five investigators — to perform the 10,000 investigations required annually
by the new legislation.
Two initiatives by the probate department’s supervising judge will spark new awareness for
elderly conservatees: a volunteer elder-advocacy corps and the Elder Abuse Prevention Task
Force.
Following discussions with the nonprofit Wise & Healthy Aging organization in Santa
Monica, a visitation program for stay-at-home elders was jointly developed. Called Advocates
for Conserved Elders (ACE), a formal proposal for funding was then submitted to the
California Community Foundation.
The foundation granted the $235,000 proposal, allowing ACE volunteers to visit and
monitor the well-being of conservatees without close friends or family.
ACE participants will be recruited from throughout the county and extensively trained by
the Wise & Healthy Aging staff.
The Elder Abuse Prevention Task Force, which is chaired by the supervising judge of the
probate department, involves 20 nonprofit and government organizations. At its quarterly
meetings, the task force coordinates elder abuse response services and exchanges program
information.
The Court also provides training for nonprofessional conservators on the first Monday of
each month in the Resource Center for Self-Represented Litigants at the Stanley Mosk
Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
26 Delivering Justice to a Changing Community