Informed Opinions on Today’s Topics : Suggestions on Regulating Cemeteries

Earlier this year, the state cemetery board seized control of two cemeteries, alleging that graves at Paradise Memorial Park in Santa Fe Springs had been dug up and resold and that owners of Lincoln Memorial Park in Carson had embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from their endowment fund, which is supposed to maintain the cemeteries.

As more cemeteries have fallen under investigation, debate has centered around which state agency is best equipped for the crisis. Last week, in a 3-2 vote, the state cemetery board handed over most of its regulatory authority to the state Department of Consumer Affairs.

How should regulations regarding cemeteries be improved?

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Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, chairwoman of the Assembly Consumer Protection Committee:

“We need to heighten the regulations over the endowment-care funds. We need to require that cemeteries report on their inventory of unused plots yearly so we can gauge to what extent they can be committing the illegal act of reassigning plots. There needs to be stiffer fines for those who do not file audit reports in a timely manner and inspections need to be done on an annual basis. All of which is going to be requiring more enforcement power which is coming from the Department of Consumer Affairs.”

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Karen Leonard, consumer representative for the California and Hawaii Federation of Funeral and Memorial Societies:

“There needs to be a public board set up that governs the entire industry, composed of public members, with no industry representatives on the board. More money needs to go into inspections, the license fees need to be increased so the board is funded . . . The worst thing that can happen is if it goes into the Department of Consumer Affairs--which is what happened--and then no one will know what is happening except the industry.”

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L. Cuffie Joslin, member of the state cemetery board:

“They pulled the rug out from under the board. It was a deceptive move, a political move . . . There is no need for any industry people to be on this board . . . We need to establish a community consumer committee . . . to meet with and assist legislators with their needs, instead of the legislators listening to those empty-heads at the Department of Consumer Affairs.”

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Steve Doukas, chairman of the state cemetery board:

“If there is to be a cemetery board, its function should be to hold public meetings to hear the public input and oversee the licensing of cemeteries and of individuals to work in and run cemeteries and crematoriums and give some input as to necessary regulations . . . One of the complaints of the public and Cuffie is that the cemetery board is controlled by industry. But, we’re all public representatives, because that is what we are sworn to do. I am an industry person, but as an industry person, I have been the strongest in denying licenses because I understand what needs to be done to qualify.”

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Louis Bonsignore, public affairs director for the state Department of Consumer Affairs:

“The problem was, I believe, that the size of the cemetery board and its small budget didn’t allow enough enforcement and regulation of the industry . . . [Until last week] there were three people, total, to police the entire cemetery industry in California. Add to this a lackluster performance by the board previous to 1990 and we see an industry that needed to be steered back on the right direction.”