Conservatorship of Z.A. CA1/2

BACKGROUND

On April 10, 2025, the Public Guardian filed a petition to extend Z.A.’s conservatorship under the Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 5350 et seq.) The petition alleged that Z.A., whose current

1 conservatorship was due to terminate on June 14, 2025, continued to be gravely disabled as a result of a mental disorder and unable to provide for his basic personal needs for food, clothing or shelter. A court trial began on May 27, 2025.1 Dr. Shahbaz Khan testified as an expert in psychiatry and evaluation of grave disability. Dr. Kahn met with Z.A. at Napa State Hospital for 30-40 minutes on May 18, 2025, and reviewed “extensive records” including notes from current and prior deputy conservators and notes from present and past hospitalizations. He diagnosed Z.A. with chronic schizophrenia, which he described as a severe mental illness characterized by severe disorganization of thoughts resulting from delusions and hallucinations, as well as “negative symptoms” such as “loss of motivation, volition [and] mood,” and catatonia, which includes “various kinds of immobility” or sometimes “being extraordinarily agitated, aggressive without any reason.”2…