California Edition · Vol. 02 · Spring 2026

The best memory care in California, ranked by the state's own inspectors.

No paid ads. No sales calls. Every claim sourced and dated to a public state record.

Editorial Independence

StarlynnCare receives no referral commissions, lead fees, or paid placement from any operator. Rankings are derived solely from state inspection records and verified family reviews.

§ 01 · The Public Record

The California facility data you need, curated + analyzed for you.

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[01] CDSS
496
Licensed memory care facilities indexed across California
[02] CDSS / CMS
7,951
Updated regularly
State inspection reports, parsed and dated
[03] CDSS
0
Severe deficiencies on file in the last 24 months
[04] Policy
0
Since day one
Referral commissions, lead fees, or paid placements accepted from operators
§ 02 · How We Rank

Ranked on public record. Transparent methodology.

Each facility is ranked against peers in its state using publicly available state inspection records. How we calculate rankings →

§ 03 · Browse California

Start with your county.

Alameda93Contra Costa43San Mateo32Santa Clara20Los Angeles79San Diego51Orange71Sacramento29Ventura11Riverside38Placer1El Dorado1Marin1Santa Cruz3Santa Barbara6San Luis Obispo2Napa1
Popular cities
Hayward16 facilities →Fremont15 facilities →Livermore14 facilities →Anaheim14 facilities →Pleasant Hill13 facilities →San Francisco13 facilities →San Mateo13 facilities →Union City12 facilities →Los Angeles11 facilities →Escondido9 facilities →Riverside9 facilities →San Diego8 facilities →San Ramon8 facilities →Torrance8 facilities →Oakland8 facilities →Pleasanton7 facilities →San Leandro7 facilities →Oceanside6 facilities →Chula Vista6 facilities →Hemet6 facilities →Corona6 facilities →Elk Grove5 facilities →Mission Viejo5 facilities →Carmichael5 facilities →
View all California counties →
§ 04 · The Reports

An editorial desk for memory care.

The State of Memory Care in California
Annual Data Report · 2026

The State of Memory Care in California

Year-over-year analysis of inspection reports across licensed facilities — deficiency rates by county, severity trends…

Live · Dataset overview · Read →
Regional costs

Memory care costs by California city & region

Benchmark monthly bands by metro — planning estimates families use before facility-specific quotes.

Live · Regional bands · Read →
Illustrated grandparent and grandchild walking together on the beach — representing the lifestyle and dignity questions families weigh when choosing between memory care and a nursing home
Comparison Hub

Memory care vs. nursing home (SNF)

RCFE memory care vs skilled nursing — licensing, Medicare framing, Medi-Cal context, and what to verify on tours.

Live · Decision guide · Read →
Illustrated older gentleman tending flowers in a garden — representing the daily activities and independence that residential memory care, supported in part by Medi-Cal, aims to preserve
California payer literacy

Medi-Cal & memory care — what families need to know

Room & board vs services, Assisted Living Waiver context, and pairing payer questions with inspection history.

Live · PHN-reviewed · Read →
Illustrated mother and adult daughter in conversation across a kitchen table — representing the family conversations that precede a memory-care decision
Decision framework

When is it time for memory care?

Safety signals, parallel clinical + regulatory tracks, and tour discipline before you sign.

Live · Family guide · Read →
Editorial library

All guides & explainers

Costs, citations, tours, glossary, dementia vocabulary — every StarlynnCare article in one index.

Live · Full library · Read →
§ 06 · Common Questions

What families ask first.

Live across 17 CA counties · 496 facilities indexed

Find the right facility, without the sales funnel.

Search by ZIP, compare peer rankings, read every dated citation. Free, forever, with no operator behind the recommendation.

Search 496 California facilities
StarlynnCare

Independent care facility publisher. We rank every licensed memory care facility against the state's own public inspection record.

© 2026 StarlynnCare, PBC · Data refreshed 2026-05-25 · CDSS · CMS Care Compare