Tuesday, October 13, 2026

California News news

Verified government notice; reviewed October 12. The CFB Advisory Committee meets October 21, 10 a.m.-noon Pacific, in Sacramento and through Webex.

The agenda includes SB 1312 on cemeteries, AB 2542 on disposition authority, an AB 351 natural organic reduction update, and licensing, enforcement, audit and budget reports.

This is a discussion notice, with joining instructions in the agenda. It does not announce final reduction regulations or operator approvals. Firms planning 2027 services should follow subsequent official notices before presenting draft requirements as final.

Read: Official October 21 agenda | Meeting materials

Regulatory news

Verified CFB report for July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026. The Bureau's meeting packet lists recurring application problems: missing Live Scan forms, transcripts not sent directly by the school, missing corporate authority or zoning documentation, and corporate officers that do not match Secretary of State records. Cemetery salesperson applications can also be delayed by absent employing-broker certification or inaccurate broker details.

Before submitting an application, compare the documents with the current requirements for that license type. The report is a useful preparation aid, not a substitute for the applicable application instructions.

Read: CFB licensing report, application-deficiencies page

Regulatory news

Verified CFB audit-unit table. The Bureau reports that 62% of funeral establishment preneed trust annual reports for the 2025 reporting year were timely, 3% were late and 35% were not reported in the packet's table. Those annual reports were due May 1, 2026. The table does not explain each missing report or provide the underlying licensee count, so these percentages should not be read as a case-by-case finding of misconduct.

For managers, the practical step is to confirm filing status and retain evidence of submission for every applicable license and trust account. This annual-report statistic is separate from the upcoming quarterly deadline.

Read: CFB audit-unit reporting trends

Regulatory news

Verified CFB fiscal-year report. Common violations identified in the meeting materials include manager supervision failures, missing or late trust reports, failure to display licenses, and casket-display or General Price List deficiencies. These are categories in a statewide report, not new allegations against a named business. Managers can use them to guide a short internal review of responsibility assignments, posted licenses, pricing materials and filing records.

Read: CFB enforcement report for FY 2025-26

Regulatory news

The Cemetery and Funeral Bureau's application page now links to online notifications for funeral-establishment and cemetery changes, plus cemetery salesperson transfer or reinstatement requests. Funeral-establishment notices cover changes to corporate officers, trustees or the managing funeral director. Check the instructions for the particular license and transaction before filing; online availability does not remove supporting-document requirements.

Read: CFB licensing applications.

Industry Announcements news

Provider announcement; upcoming observance. Skylawn Funeral Home, Memorial Park and Crematory's public notice says it is observing National Cremation Placement Day throughout October, with information about permanent placement and long-term planning. The notice describes a voluntary invitation to families and does not give a timed October 17 ceremony. CDW has not verified a separate service or attendance schedule.

The California example shows one way providers are communicating about memorialization beyond a single date. It is a report of the provider's outreach, not a CDW endorsement of a purchase or of claims about grief outcomes.

Read: Skylawn's announcement

Industry Announcements news

Verified court docket and association statement. A Summit County, Ohio court docket records an October 6 temporary restraining order in The Billow Co., Inc. v. Selected Independent Funeral Homes, case CV-2026-10-4317. Selected's board says the order prevents it from closing, counting, certifying or acting on the proposed merger vote that had been scheduled to close October 8.

Selected disputes allegations that its process violated applicable law and says a preliminary-injunction hearing is scheduled for October 23. Temporary relief is not a final ruling on those allegations. The proposed combination with NFDA should continue to be described as pending, rather than completed.

Read: Court docket | Selected board's statement

Transaction watch: No new California funeral-home, cemetery or crematory acquisition was independently confirmed for this draft. Please send releasable transaction and personnel announcements with the effective date and a source.

Industry Announcements news

Appointment announcement, reported October 7. Bravo Family Mortuary, serving San Diego County, has named Rudee Slavik funeral director and mortuary manager, according to the announcement carried by FuneralVision. The announcement says she brings 16 years of funeral-service experience and will oversee daily operations, with responsibilities in growth and community outreach. No separate effective date was stated in the report reviewed by CDW.

Read: FuneralVision appointment announcement.

Industry Announcements news

Company announcement, October 5. Park Lawn named Lauren Blevins and Jeff Moore to lead its expanded East and West operating regions, respectively, and announced a search for a chief operating officer. The company describes the changes as support for local operating teams. This personnel development is separate from the Waco transaction reported in last week's CDW; the announcement does not identify a new California acquisition.

Read: Park Lawn leadership announcement.

Market Intelligence analysis

Proposed data-methodology feature. Funeral Convergence's supplied August 2026 California report contains 21,980 deaths and notes that 438 records could not be assigned to a current funeral-establishment roster entry. That is 1.99%, or approximately 2%, of the statewide total.

Those records remain in the state totals but are excluded from county licensed-firm market-share calculations. This does not mean the deaths were unregistered, or that an unlicensed firm handled them. The report does not establish the reason for every unmatched record. It means the occurrence records did not match the current roster used for this report.

A county licensed-firm market share therefore answers a specific question about cases assigned to the county's listed establishments. It is not automatically the share of all resident deaths. Clear definitions matter when a manager compares reports or considers an expansion.

Source: Funeral Convergence, August 2026 California All-County Market Share Reports, source note on page 2; occurrence data exported September 13, joined to the September 15 roster. Calculation: 438 / 21,980 x 100. August is the newest supplied report located for this draft, not a claim that September data is unavailable elsewhere. No firm-level table is reproduced.

Market Intelligence news

Annual-report background. CANA reports that cremation accounted for 62.8% of U.S. deaths and 77.4% of Canadian deaths in 2025. Its 2030 projections are 69.1% and 81.1%, respectively. These are national measures and forecasts, not California county market shares or new October activity. They provide context for service planning but cannot replace local market data.

Read: CANA statistics and 2026 report summary.

Education & Events news

• October 15, 11 a.m.-noon Pacific: ICCFA webinar on unplaced and unclaimed cremated remains, with Honnalora Hubbard of Coldspring. Reminder: this is tomorrow for readers of the October 14 edition.
• October 17: National Cremation Placement Day. Local programs and arrangements vary; contact the participating provider.
• October 21, 10 a.m.-noon Pacific: CFB Advisory Committee meeting. Agenda and joining instructions.
• October 25-28, Charlotte, North Carolina: NFDA International Convention & Expo. National event included for California attendees; check the official convention pages for registration and housing.
• October 31: CFB third-quarter certificate-of-authority cemetery and crematory reports are due on or before this date. The cemetery form and crematory form cover July 1-September 30. October 31 is a Saturday; do not assume an extension without Bureau confirmation.
• November 1: Funeral Service Foundation fall academic scholarship applications close. See the spotlight below.
• November 17, Colma: ICCFA 240 Workshop at Cypress Lawn. The page lists registration through November 12. Its Eastern time-zone label remains inconsistent with the California venue; confirm local hours with ICCFA.
• December 10, virtual: California Funeral Institute, Funeral Arrangement Counselor Training and Law Review, 9 a.m.-noon; Crematory Operator Training Program and Law Review, 1-4 p.m. Pacific. Cemetery Manager and Cemetery Broker Law Review remains on a waitlist.

Education & Events news

This rolling outlook highlights opportunities to support families, work with community partners and recognize staff. Confirm individual event arrangements with the host.

• October 15: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Share an optional remembrance invitation and support resources with care for families' differing needs. March of Dimes.
• October 24: Hollywood Forever's Dia de los Muertos celebration, Los Angeles. Consult the organizer for admission and program details. The October 10 altar-application deadline has passed. Event information.
• November 1-2: Forest Lawn Dia de los Muertos programs. Glendale, Covina Hills and Cypress: November 1, noon-3 p.m.; Cathedral City: November 2, 5-8 p.m. Local California times; arrangements vary by location. Host's 2026 calendar.
• November: National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. Plan education and recognition with local hospice partners. NPHI's prior-year resources provide background; their 2025 theme is not a newly announced 2026 theme.
• November: National Family Caregivers Month. Recognize family caregivers and connect them with support. Caregiver Action Network lists its 2026 campaign launch for October 19. Campaign page.
• November 11: Veterans Day. Coordinate recognition with local veterans organizations. VA background.
• November-December: Holiday grief support. Invite local partners to submit confirmed programs, including the host, date and registration details. This is a seasonal planning category, not a designated observance.

Looking ahead for staff recognition: March 5, 2027, Employee Appreciation Day; March 11, National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day; April 21, 2027, Administrative Professionals Day. Employers can also choose a day to recognize cemetery grounds and operations teams, clearly labeling it as their own staff appreciation activity.

Vendor & Association news

Foundation announcement, September 15; deadline reminder. The Funeral Service Foundation says more than 25 fall academic scholarships, ranging from $2,500 to $5,000, are available to eligible funeral-service students and military veterans. Applications and supporting materials are due November 1; late applications are not accepted.

The common application includes written responses and a short video, with transcripts, a letter of good standing and an instructor or program-director recommendation. California employers can share the opportunity with students and eligible staff. Applicants should check the criteria for the particular award.

Read: Foundation's Fall 2026 announcement

Vendor & Association news

Company press release; posted October 7, datelined September 30. Johnson Consulting Group announced a tax-services practice for funeral-home and cemetery operators and named Chris Duncan its director. The firm says the offering includes compliance work, planning and transaction-related tax modeling. Its team page lists Duncan in the role. CDW has not evaluated the service and is not recommending a particular tax strategy.

Read: JCG announcement | Team page

Vendor & Association news

Company-reported recognition. In The Light Urns says it was a finalist in the 2026 Central California BBB Torch Awards for Ethics. Its announcement identifies the September 23 event at Pardini's in Fresno. The recognition is finalist status, not a claim that the company won the award. As the company's page notes, BBB accreditation and award recognition are separate, and neither is an endorsement of individual products.

Read: In The Light Urns announcement.

Historical Perspectives news

The Colma Historical Association dates the opening of Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery to June 3, 1887. It records the incorporation of Lawndale, later renamed Colma, on August 5, 1924, through the efforts of 14 associated cemeteries. The history provides context for today's concentration of cemetery, funeral and memorial businesses in the area.

Read: Colma Historical Association's history

Across the county line, the National Park Service's history of San Francisco's City Cemetery adds another part of the story. More than 29,000 people were buried there between 1870 and 1898. NPS estimates that 10,000-19,700 burials remain in what is now Lincoln Park, while noting uncertainty about removals by different organizations. That estimate concerns Lincoln Park; it is not a citywide grave count. The history is a reminder to distinguish documented relocations from assumptions that every burial moved to Colma.

Read: NPS history of City Cemetery.

Publisher's Note news

The official agenda confirms the CFB meeting is October 21. An earlier working draft used October 22; the October 7 PDF proof used October 21. The agenda identifies AB 2542 as Chapter 951, Statutes of 2026. The October 7 website edition listed October 22; this edition corrects that date to October 21.

Original sources were checked October 12; added items were checked October 13. Bureau reports describe prior fiscal-year activity, not October operations. Company and association announcements are attributed. Outside material is summarized in original language; rights to reprint Mortuary Management and Funeral Monitor remain unconfirmed.

Send corrections and source questions to [email protected].

Publisher's Note news

Send California funeral, cemetery, crematory, hospice and allied-industry news, appointments, ownership changes and calendar items to [email protected]. Include a contact, effective date and source documentation.

Free subscription: CaliforniaDeathcareWeekly.com/subscribe.

California Deathcare Weekly is a publication of Deathcare Media, a DBA of Pacific Funeral Holdings, Inc., P.O. Box 1489, Palm Springs, CA 92263-1489.