rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/sign-ab1194-for-attorney-choice?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-sign-ab1194-for-attorney-choice' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Senior and Disability Action https://actionnetwork.org/groups/senior-and-disability-action https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/193/913/normal/mad_mob_graphic_cropped.jpg When Britney Spears spoke during her conservatorship hearing in June, she said that she didn't know she could petition to end her conservatorship or to change her lawyer. While it shocked the public that she wasn't informed of her rights after 13 years on a conservatorship, this is disturbingly common. For many disabled people in conservatorship proceedings, legal rights that exist on paper are not granted in practice. On September 9, the California state legislature passed AB1194, an important bill that will give people the right to choose their own attorney in conservatorship proceedings. AB1194 also requires the state to appoint public defenders for those without private attorneys, and that those lawyers act as "zealous advocates" for their clients-- representing their client's interest to the best of their ability. This bill is an important advance in the rights of seniors and people with disabilities, but opponents are trying to get the governor to veto it. Send an email to Governor Newsom urging him to sign the bill into law to give disabled people and seniors the legal rights and resources to challenge conservatorship! https://actionnetwork.org/letters/sign-ab1194-for-attorney-choice