Hi everyone: The California Archives are following the law in not releasing the information on those who died & are buried at the old State Hospital Cemetery. I agree this law needs to be ammended (you can view this law at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html ) Perhaps adding the following as an ammendment to 5328. which reads: All information and records obtained in the course of providing services under Division 4 (commencing with Section 4000), Division 4.1 ( commencing with Section 4400), Division 4.5 (commencing with Section 4500), Division 5 ( commencing with Section 5000), Division 6 (commencing with Section 6000), or Division 7 (commencing with Section 7100), to either voluntary or involuntary reciepients of services shall be confidential. Information and records obtained in the course of providing similar services to either voluntary or involuntary reciepients prior to 1969 shall also be confidential. Information and records shall be disclosed only in any of the following cases: NOTE: There are 19 pages of reasons... It is my recomendation that all interested parties read this law carefully.... Suggest an ammendment be added that will allow the release of information a set number of years after the death of a patient (75 should be sufficient to not be harmful/hurtful for anyone connected to the deceased). This could be achieved quickly by ammending the above paragraph to include: ....to either voluntary or involuntary reciepients of services shall be confidential during the lifetime of the individual recieving such services, and no longer than 75 years after the demise of said individual...... Also suggest an ammendment that will legalize the release of all medical records of any person who recieved services to any descendant who shows proof of death & proof of relationship to said individual for family genetic research. Also, an ammendment that states all death & burial records for individuals who died while under treatment at any state facility, are deemed public information, as mandated by California Health and Safety Code_________. That all death & burial records of any individual recieving services from a state facility, who sucumbs while an inmate of a facility, and is buried in state operated burial grounds, is deemed pubic information under law, and will be made available to the public. This information will include the following information: Date of Death, Reason, Burial plot number, place of burial. Also, an ammendment needs to be made that states that all remains will be cared for as mandated under the California Health and Safety code________. Also, that all above ammendments are retroactive to include any and all records on file in State offices, Archives, etc. for this state. Need to make sure it is the State that will pay for making these available to the public. I am in process of determining how to word the above properly to submit to my local officials (Senate, Congress, Assembly). This is what needs to be done to get the laws ammended to allow for release of burial information, medical information for those needing it, etc. Please feel free to post your suggestions for wording these ammendments.. and to forward this note to any you feel may be of value in getting the above done as soon as possible. Thanks! Marge Campbell http://www.rootsweb.com/~moiron2 Iron County MO Web Page http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mcampbel/home.htm Margie Campbell's Original Web Page http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mcampbel/ Margie Campbell's NEW Site (under construction) HERMES surname maillist host WENSTRÖM surname maillist host