Knowing Our History: How the Structural Context of California’s Aging Network Evolved

Abstract

In June 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order calling for the creation of a Master Plan for Aging (MPA.) The opening paragraph affirms “California’s commitment to build an age-friendly state so that all Californians can age with dignity and independence.” (California Health and Human Services Agency 2020). The MPA was released in January 2021. I was hired as the consultant MPA Historian to document the chronological sequence of services and to highlight the major strategies California has adopted to serve older adults and people with disabilities. I researched archival documents and interviewed influencers, policy makers, and community based providers. The goal to successfully age in one’s community is, in part, the result of preceding decades of federal and state leadership, implementation strategies and advocacy. The evolution of aging services in California began with robust initiation and expansion in the 1970s but faced near total devastation twenty years later due to severe budget deficits. The approach to addressing aging has been complex since the 1960’s.