Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Regulatory news

Verified legislative action, September 30. Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2542, “Marissa’s Law,” on September 30. The measure was chaptered as Chapter 951, Statutes of 2026, changing the status reported while the bill was awaiting action.

The chaptered bill record describes two circumstances in which the right to control disposition passes to the next eligible person in the Health and Safety Code section 7100 priority order, when the funeral director or cemetery authority knows the relevant fact: the otherwise entitled person was subject to a domestic-violence restraining order protecting the decedent at death; or a qualifying court determination or legally determinative document establishes that giving the person control would have been contrary to the decedent’s best interests. The measure also provides protection from civil or criminal liability and licensing discipline for a determination made under these provisions.

Practice point: Firms can prepare a written escalation path for disputed authority, with a place to record the order or document reviewed, who made the decision and why the next person in the statutory priority was contacted. Staff should read the California Legislature’s final bill text and confirm the operative date before treating this summary as an instruction to change an arrangement already in progress.

Regulatory news

Verified legislative action, September 27. AB 2598 was chaptered September 27 as Chapter 627, Statutes of 2026. It requires the person in charge of a general acute care hospital or skilled nursing facility to make a reasonable attempt to notify known next of kin after a death, subject to specified exceptions. Where no next of kin can be located after that attempt, or the decedent made the specified written request not to notify kin, the facility must notify the county public administrator within two business days. The law provides for civil penalties for certain notification failures.

The direct duties in this measure fall on the covered facilities. Funeral establishments and hospices may nevertheless want to understand the change when coordinating a transfer, identifying an authorized arranger or helping a family reconstruct the timeline of notice. Read the final bill text for its exact exceptions and timing.

Regulatory news

Verified government announcement, September 28. Marin County reports that the Governor signed SB 1312 and AB 929 and approved $1.8 million for initial restoration work at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael. The county says SB 1312 creates a statewide process for determining when a private endowment-care cemetery is abandoned. AB 929 addresses this cemetery’s circumstances and could allow the county to transfer ownership, care and management to a qualified nonprofit or state-licensed operator.

The cemetery is privately owned and regulated by the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. According to Marin County, the Bureau revoked its license in 2025, although burials for families with pre-purchased plots continued. No ownership transfer has been announced. The county says its Board of Supervisors would first have to complete the statutory abandonment process, including notice and a 90-day period for the owner to address specified concerns.

Regulatory news

Verified Bureau forms. The CFB’s 2026 certificate-of-authority cemetery report and 2026 crematory report state that third-quarter reports for July 1–September 30 are due on or before October 31, 2026. Licensees should use the Bureau’s current forms and online filing page and verify which forms apply to their licenses. This is a reminder, rather than a new deadline.

Industry Announcements news

Association announcement. The International Order of the Golden Rule says Adam Thielen, owner of Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home and Crematory in Dubuque, Iowa, has been elected a board member at large for a term through May 2028. This is a national association personnel item; it is not a California appointment.

Industry Announcements news

Company release, October 1. Matthews International says Katherine E. Dietze and Morgan K. O’Brien will not seek reelection at its 2027 annual meeting. The company expects its board to shrink from ten directors to eight. Matthews’ Memorialization business supplies funeral homes and cemeteries with memorials, caskets and cremation equipment. The departure is planned for the 2027 meeting; it has not happened yet.

Acquisition watch: No new California funeral-home, crematory or cemetery sale was sufficiently documented for this edition. Send transaction announcements with buyer, seller, properties, effective date and a public or releasable source to the editor.

Market Intelligence news

Transaction reporting, October 2. Connecting Directors reports that Park Lawn acquired Connally-Compton Funeral Home’s business from SCI in Waco, Texas, including its preneed business, but not the real estate. The location closed, with operations and most employees moving to nearby Park Lawn properties. The report does not disclose the transaction price or exact closing date.

CDW market perspective: Track the change in ownership separately from the closed location. Consolidation can shift case volume and preneed obligations to a receiving firm even when a building leaves service. For California operators evaluating acquisitions, case retention and contract obligations belong alongside projected facility savings in the analysis. This is a Texas transaction, not a California acquisition.

Market Intelligence news

Company strategy, reported September 30. In an interview with Connecting Directors, Earth Funeral representative John Collins described a growth model built around regional natural organic reduction facilities, transportation and partnerships with local funeral directors. The company is looking at gaps in the Southeast and Midwest; the interview describes expansion ambitions, not confirmed openings in those regions.

California’s Cemetery and Funeral Bureau is to begin licensing and regulating reduction facilities and managers on January 1, 2027, according to its AB 351 legislative summary. That approaching framework was covered in our first issue; Earth’s partnership strategy is the new development here.

CDW operating perspective: Firms evaluating a referral relationship should compare transportation costs, turnaround, family communication and responsibility for final placement. Company growth plans do not establish regulatory approval for a particular facility.

Market Intelligence news

Association update; checked October 6. NFDA says eligible members may vote on proposed bylaws changes through October 7 at 4 p.m. Central, or 2 p.m. Pacific. One set of amendments concerns its proposed combination with Selected Independent Funeral Homes. NFDA’s voting notice provides the ballot information.

The associations have signed a letter of intent. Their joint announcement and FAQ say completion requires member approval and describe the legal structure as NFDA’s acquisition of Selected. Selected would retain a distinct designation and community within NFDA. These are proposed arrangements, not a completed transaction.

CDW follow-up: Watch for official voting results and a final agreement before treating the combination as settled. Independent firms should review the proposed governance and membership provisions directly rather than infer their effects from the announcement alone.

Market Intelligence news

State enforcement announcement, September 25. Nebraska’s chief medical officer placed Dorsey Funeral Home and Cremations on two years’ probation after a disciplinary petition concerning cremations performed while the establishment was unlicensed, according to the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.

The agency says three unclaimed bodies were cremated during a training exercise in May 2025. Its June 4, 2026 petition charged the facility with operating without a license and aiding false statements on the three death certificates. The order requires supervision by a licensed funeral director and embalmer practicing in Nebraska with a license in good standing.

CDW operating perspective: Equipment training should not be treated as a substitute for facility licensing or authorization to handle remains. The case is a reminder to verify licensing and reconcile transfer, disposition and death-certificate records. This brief reports Nebraska’s enforcement announcement; it does not characterize the case as a California disciplinary action.

Market Intelligence news

Funeral Convergence data feature. Funeral Convergence’s August 2026 Alameda County page records 881 cases assigned to funeral establishments on the county’s licensed-firm roster. Of those, 646 were cremations and 3 were alkaline hydrolysis cases. Combining the two disposition types gives 649 of 881, or 73.67%.

The denominator is cases handled by Alameda-listed licensed establishments. It is not all deaths of Alameda residents, and it is not necessarily every death occurring within the county. The source is August 1–31 California occurrence data by funeral license ID, exported September 13, joined to a September 15 CFB establishment roster. Across the state, 438 cases could not be assigned to a current roster entry; those cases remain in state totals but are excluded from county licensed-firm shares. Later extracts or roster updates can change the figures.

Source: Funeral Convergence, August 2026 California All-County Market Share Reports, pp. 1–2. The report is not linked publicly because it is a licensed, copyrighted product. No establishment-level rows are reproduced.

Education & Events news

- October 7, 2 p.m. Pacific: NFDA bylaws voting closes; see the association update above.
- October 15, 11 a.m.–noon Pacific: ICCFA webinar on unclaimed and unplaced cremated remains, presented by Honnalora Hubbard of Coldspring. The event description’s nationwide estimate is the presenter’s claim; CDW has not verified that estimate.
- October 17: National Cremation Placement Day, an industry observance focused on remembrance and permanent placement. Check local event details with participating cemeteries.
- October 22, 10 a.m.–noon Pacific: CFB Advisory Committee meeting, listed as a Webex event with an in-person location in Sacramento. The agenda was not posted on the page at this check; revisit before attending.
- October 31: CFB third-quarter cemetery and crematory reports due; see the Bureau forms linked above.
- November 17: ICCFA 240 Workshop at Cypress Lawn, Colma. Registration page lists a November 12 cutoff. Its displayed time zone reads Eastern despite the California venue; confirm local start time with ICCFA.
- December 10: California Funeral Institute live virtual courses: Funeral Arrangement Counselor Training and Law Review, 9 a.m.–noon; Crematory Operator Training Program and Law Review, 1–4 p.m. Pacific. A cemetery manager/broker course remains on a waitlist.

Historical Perspectives news

The CFB says AB 180 merged the Cemetery Act and the Funeral Directors and Embalmers Law into the Cemetery and Funeral Act effective January 1, 2016. A decade later, the Bureau is again dealing with questions that cross traditional professional lines, including cemetery stewardship and emerging disposition methods. The legal anniversary is the historical fact here; the link to present policy is CDW’s editorial observation. No article from Mortuary Management or Funeral Monitor is reproduced, because archive rights have not been established.

Vendor & Association news

Vendor description; CDW has not tested the product. Tukios says Heardstone can take recorded arrangement conversations, uploaded audio and photographed notes, then prepare an obituary draft in the Tukios system. The vendor offers beta enrollment. Any funeral home evaluating it should obtain the family’s consent where appropriate for recording, review how sensitive files are handled, and have a person verify names, relationships and dates before publication. Product capabilities and availability are the vendor’s claims.

Publisher's Note news

Status update: AB 2542 was awaiting the Governor’s decision when the September 30 edition was drafted; it was signed September 30. The September 30 web edition reported the bill as awaiting action based on the record available at that check. The chaptered record now confirms enactment. This issue updates that coverage; it does not confirm whether the earlier email edition was sent.

Government records are the basis for the legislation, cemetery stewardship, meeting and filing items. Personnel and product briefs are explicitly attributed to the announcing association or company. The Alameda figures come from Funeral Convergence’s licensed report; only aggregate figures are reproduced. CDW has summarized all outside material in original language. Send corrections and documentation to [email protected].

Publisher's Note news

Send press releases, appointments, ownership changes, acquisitions, education dates and corrections to [email protected]. Include a contact, effective date and a source readers can consult.

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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.