Autism Behavior Services reconnects with California Attorney General Rob Bonta at Dodger Stadium fundraiser

By AI, Created 5:56 AM UTC, June 05, 2026, /AGP/ – Autism Behavior Services, Inc. met with California Attorney General Rob Bonta at a fundraiser at Dodger Stadium, highlighting the company’s push for autism access and disability rights in California. The event brought together ABSI leaders and Bonta, whose record includes work on ABA coverage and disability protections.

Why it matters: - ABSI says policy wins in Sacramento only go so far without day-to-day advocacy for families, clinicians, and people with autism. - Bonta’s record on autism coverage and disability rights makes him a significant figure for providers that rely on stable insurance access and state enforcement. - The meeting underscores continued alignment between autism-service advocates and California officials on access to care.

What happened: - ABSI reconnected with California Attorney General Rob Bonta at a recent fundraiser at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. - Claire Hicks, ABSI’s director of human resources, represented the company. - Eric Linder, ABSI’s government relations representative and a former California state Assemblymember, joined Hicks at the event. - Hicks said seeing leaders like Bonta was a reminder that policy decisions affect real families, children, and clinicians. - Linder said he and Bonta found common ground on autism and developmental disability issues while serving in the California State Assembly.

The details: - Bonta served as chair of the California State Assembly Health Committee and played a central role in extending California’s Applied Behavior Analysis insurance mandate. - The ABA mandate, first enacted in 2011, remains a foundation of insured autism coverage in California. - Since becoming attorney general in 2021, Bonta has worked through the California Department of Justice’s Disability Rights Bureau on disability-rights issues. - The Disability Rights Bureau has published the Legal Rights of Persons with Disabilities handbook in five editions. - The bureau has also taken actions involving housing, education, and digital accessibility rights. - In April 2026, the Advisory Council on Improving Interactions Between People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Law Enforcement issued a report aimed at reducing harmful encounters between police and people on the autism spectrum. - The advisory council was convened under SB 882 with the attorney general’s office.

Between the lines: - The event reflects how autism-service organizations often depend on long-running relationships with policymakers, not just one-time legislation. - ABSI is signaling that its advocacy strategy includes both insurance coverage and broader disability-rights protections. - Bonta’s continued involvement suggests autism policy remains connected to a wider civil-rights and public-safety agenda in California.

What’s next: - ABSI said it looks forward to continuing to work with Bonta’s office on policy issues affecting the families and individuals it supports. - The company said it will keep advocating for families, inclusive policies, and access to ethical, evidence-based autism services across California. - The April 2026 report could shape future state efforts to improve interactions between law enforcement and people with developmental disabilities.

The bottom line: - ABSI is using its relationship with Bonta to reinforce a bigger message: autism access in California depends on both coverage policy and disability-rights enforcement.