Tell California’s Attorney General: Sign the Commitment and Protect Our Right to Live in the Community!

Disabled people have the right to live in our own homes. We have the right to get help where we live. We do not have to move into a nursing home or an institution to get help.

The federal government is trying to take those rights away.

We need California to work in solidarity with us to stop this attack on freedom and autonomy. So far, California has done nothing.

What happened

On June 18, 2026, lawyers at the U.S. Department of Justice wrote a memo. The memo said that disability rights laws do not give us the right to live in our communities with supports.

That is not true. For 50 years the law has said we have this right. The United States Supreme Court agreed in 1999 in a case called Olmstead v. Lois Curtis.

A memo cannot change the law. Only Congress can change the law. But the memo tells us that the federal government will stop helping states protect our right to live in the community. So states have to protect it themselves.

What we are asking for

Disability groups wrote a promise. It is called the Commitment to Community Integration for People with Disabilities.

State attorneys general can sign the promise. Signing means the attorney general agrees that disabled people should receive services in their own homes and communities and should not be forced to live in institutions.

We want California Attorney General Rob Bonta to sign the promise.

What has happened in California

On August 11, 2026, 78 groups sent a letter to Attorney General Bonta. The letter asked him to sign the community integration promise. Advocates wrote to his office again on August 12 and on August 24, asking him to sign it.

He has not answered.

California is where the disability rights movement started. Many disabled Californians use services like In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) to live in our own homes. Those services depend on the right to receive services in the community.

California should be leading. But right now, California is silent.

What you can do

Tell Attorney General Bonta to sign the promise.

His office needs to hear from disabled Californians and our families. They need to know how many of us there are. They need to know the right to live in the community is important to us. They need to know what we would lose if this right was taken away.

Here are ways to help:

1. Send an email

Send an email to CARE@doj.ca.gov

This address goes to staff whose job is to listen to community members. Ask them to give your message to the Attorney General.

2. Fill out the form

You can also send your message on the Attorney General’s website: https://oag.ca.gov/contact/general-comment-question-or-complaint-form

This puts your message in writing in their system.

3. Call

Call (916) 210-6276 or call free from anywhere in California: (800) 952-5225.

If you are Deaf or hard of hearing, dial 711. You can also call TTY/TDD (800) 735-2929 in English or (800) 855-3000 in Spanish.

The person who answers the phone may not know about this issue. That is okay. Say what you want to say anyway. Ask them to write it down for the Attorney General. Your call counts.

4. What to say

You can say all of this, or just some of it.

Say your name and the city you live in.
Say that you are a disabled person, or that you love someone who is. You can say what your disability is if you want to.
Say how you live now. Do you live in your own place? Do you have a worker who helps you? Do you go to school or work?
Say what would happen if you lost the services that help you live in the community.
Ask Attorney General Bonta to sign the Commitment to Community Integration for People with Disabilities.
If you want, ask to meet with him.

Sample email

To: CARE@doj.ca.gov

Subject: Please sign the Commitment to Community Integration

Dear Attorney General Bonta,

My name is [fill in your name]. I live in [fill in your city], California. I am a disabled person.

I live in my own apartment. A worker helps me with cooking, laundry, and getting to my appointments. Because of that help, I can live my own life in my community.

The federal government now says I do not have the right to get help in my own home. That is wrong. If that right goes away, I could lose my services. I could be forced into a nursing home or other institution. I do not want that.

Please sign the Commitment to Community Integration for People with Disabilities. Please show that California will not go backward.

Sincerely,

[Fill in your name], [Fill in your city]

Sample phone script

My name is [fill in your name]. I live in [fill in your city], California.

I am calling Attorney General Bonta.

I am a disabled person. [Say more if you want.]

I live in the community. I get help where I live. I do not live in an institution.

The federal government says I do not have the right to get help in my own home anymore. If I lose that, I could lose my services. I could end up in a nursing home or other institution. That is not the life I want.

I am calling to please ask Attorney General Bonta to sign the Commitment to Community Integration for People with Disabilities.

Thank you.

5. Tell other people

Share this with your friends, your family, and your groups.

Ask your Independent Living Center to send a message. Ask your parent group. Ask your church, temple, or mosque. Ask the people who provide your services.

The more people who write and call, the harder we are to ignore.