SACRAMENTO, Calif. — ABC10 reporter Andie Judson received the esteemed Gracie Award on Tuesday for her ongoing investigation into California's conservatorship system.
The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF), the nonprofit supporting women across media honored Andie with the award for its investigative feature category in local TV.
The stories are part of ABC10's Price of Care investigation that found the California Department of Developmental Services is failing people with disabilities.
The Gracies celebrate outstanding achievements in media dedicated to women, by women, and about women. The 49th Annual Gracie Awards Luncheon was held at Cipriani’s in New York City.
About 'The Price of Care'
"The Price of Care" is an ongoing investigation spanning over three years led by Investigative Reporter Andie Judson.
Judson and the ABC10 Originals team have dug into over a dozen conservatorship cases impacting some of California's most vulnerable citizens. While each case is unique to the individual that's conserved, together they demonstrate how California's conservatorship system is broken.
The report honored with a Gracie Award focused on the Rani Slater. A 41-year-old woman who was placed under a conservatorship of the state nearly 20 years ago.
"It's an honor to be recognized with a Gracie Award," said Judson. "Our reporting aims to amplify voices of people within the conservatorship system. This particular report (that was honored) wouldn't be possible without Rani Slater and her mother, Robin Gage who used their voices to create change for themselves and others."
Conservatorships, known as guardianships in other states, are a legally complex tool that strip someone of their civil rights and give them to another person or entity.
Slater along with her twin sister were placed under a conservatorship of the state agency, California's Department of Developmental Services, when they were 25.
"I don't know anybody at DDS," said Slater.
Slater gave an inside, first-hand look at what life is like under this conservatorship - and how the state is failing to provide and protect her. At the time of ABC10's reporting, Slater's dental issues were going untreated. Her teeth were so rotted she had a hard time eating.
Following ABC10's report, Slater's teeth were fixed. It's one of many changes The Price of Care investigation is widely credited for, including legislative changes.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill limiting conservatorships that grant legal guardianship over individuals after the story aired. The new law aims to reform conservatorships for people with developmental disabilities -- giving potential conservatees preference for selecting a conservator and making it easier to end probate conservatorship.
The ongoing Price of Care investigative reports were produced by the ABC10 Originals Team including Producers Mike Bunnell and Sabrina Sanchez, Photojournalists Tyler Horst and Xavier Uriarte and headed by Executive Producer Gonzalo Magaña.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: The Price of Care: Taken by the State | A one-hour special
