The complicated birth of the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act

It is not hyperbole to call the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act of 1967 one of the most impactful pieces of California legislation of the last 60 years. The law, named for its three primary authors, fundamentally changed how this state deals with the mentally ill. The ramifications of those changes are now felt every day in virtually every community across California, for better and worse. In this piece, our Dan Morain offers an unvarnished look at the origins of this historic measure. Sen. Alan Short was the first author to denounce the legislation that bore his name, the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act that led...