TODAY in SUPES: County Eyes Major Changes to Mental Health Programs, Awards $1M in Measure Z Revenues to Road Repairs | Lost Coast Outpost

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The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors held a relatively short meeting today, concluding the public meeting agenda before recessing for lunch shortly after 12:30 p.m.

That was due in part to an administrative error that forced the board to postpone an appeals hearing for the controversial McKinleyville subdivision and housing development project. (More on this below.) But the board still found time to tackle some big issues.

A summary of the day's proceedings can be found below.

mental health program

Earlier in the day, Humboldt County Behavioral Health Director Emi Botzler-Rogers discussed potential major changes to the way both the state and county respond to people suffering from homelessness, mental illness, and substance use disorders. .

In particular, she discussed the potential impact of two major state laws:

• California Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) reform, which will appear on the March primary ballot as Proposition 1.
• Senate Bill 43This will expand the definition of a “severely disabled person'' and make more people eligible for involuntary guardianship.

The MHSA bill is the cornerstone of Gov. Gavin Newsom's agenda on behavioral health and homelessness, expanding services for people with substance use disorders and creating new The bill includes billions of dollars for behavioral health housing. But at the local level, “it can have a huge impact on the work we're doing and the funding that's available,” Botzler-Rogers said.

If passed, this bill would reduce funding to counties and make it harder to manage those funds, she explained.

Regarding SB 43, Botzler-Rogers said it would significantly change the definition of who falls under so-called “SB 43.” LPS guardianship systema legal process by which a court can appoint a guardian to make legal decisions for a severely mentally ill person.

The bill would expand coverage to include all people with severe substance use disorders, increasing the percentage of the population potentially subject to incarceration or conservatorship from about 1 percent to about 10 percent. will increase dramatically.

“This is a huge increase,” Botzler-Rogers said. “A huge number of people not only deserve protection and treatment; [but] There is a huge lack of facilities to provide services, and virtually no facilities to provide services. [substance use disorder] population. ” It's a statewide issue, she added.

Nearly every county in the state has requested that implementation of SB 43 be delayed until at least January 1, 2026, as state funding has not been secured to support these expanded mandates. At the request of staff, the Board of Supervisors today agreed to make a similar request.

Later in the presentation, Jack Breazeale, deputy director of the Department of Behavioral Health, provided an update on the county's pilot program to implement Laura's Law, also known as Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT). During the 2022-23 fiscal year, the county's Behavioral Health Branch received 33 referrals to the program, 22 of which met the criteria to receive services. One person met the criteria for involuntary treatment, Breazeale said.

He described the program with varying degrees of success, saying, “Most other people were able to get involved at some level,” adding that many of the people the program engages are unhoused, so they can help secure housing. He added that this is a major implementation challenge.

Paul Bagnacchi, deputy director of mental health, was also seated at the presentation table and discussed the inpatient side of AOT implementation.

Sempervirens Hospital, the county's acute psychiatric hospital, had 254 admissions during the past fiscal year at a cost of $10.8 million, but the county's The general fund covered most of that price tag. .

Mr. Bugiacchi said there is limited funding available to implement the AOT program.

“This is a huge step forward for the county, especially our county, and will impact multiple departments across the system,” he said.

As these issues were being discussed at the board meeting, District 4 Supervisor Natalie Arroyo spoke with obvious emotion.

“It’s so inspiring to see how hard everyone is working,” she said. “I think behavioral health is a very undervalued field.”

Z measurement changes

Later in the meeting, the board considered changing the way funds are allocated. measure za half-county sales tax measure dedicated to public safety and essential services.

The Measure Z Citizen Advisory Committee, which makes funding recommendations to the board, called for changes to the revenue awarding process so that it occurs only once a year, at the same time as the budget is adopted. This would eliminate the controversial mid-year allocation that had been the norm.

The committee also asked the board to set aside $5.4 million in savings from the previous year to be allocated to the 2024-25 funding round. And finally, they require the board to create a reserve account from which funds can be set aside and used in the event that the three-year spending plan previously approved by the board does not provide sufficient funds to finance the project. He requested the board of directors to establish it.

Deputy County Executive Sean Quincey said thanks to a decision last year to deassign previously approved staff positions, some funding is now available for “high priority projects” and the board explained that they spent a considerable amount of time debating what that funding should be and what it should be done with. spent.

District 2 Supervisor Michelle Bushnell has lobbied for more funding for fire protection efforts at the county's various fire departments, while District 1 Supervisor and Board President Rex Vaughn has said it is desperately needed. He insisted that the Department of Public Works donate at least $1 million for the alleged road repair work. .

Public Works Director Tom Matteson made a similar plea, asking the board to immediately provide Measure Z funding for road construction and equipment replacement, before the situation worsens and costs rise.

District 5 Supervisor Steve Madrone said he planned to file a motion to adopt all of the advisory committee's requests, which were also staff recommendations. [with storm damage] Given that road maintenance has been deferred, we are keen to see funding for roads as soon as possible. ”

Bushnell said Measure Z funding requests for both roads and fire protection were largely lacking last year, so he wanted to provide funding now, mid-year. She made a motion to give each of these efforts her $1 million, but none of the other supervisors gave a second amount.

Arroyo and District 3 Supervisor Mike Wilson said they intend to follow staff recommendations, but Wilson said he would consider allocating $500,000 for roads.

Arroyo said Measure Z fundamentally overpromises, with sweeping ballot language to fund emergency services, when the reality is that discretionary revenue is declining every year. . And she argued that the board should follow the advisory committee's recommendations as a show of support.

“If we want to have meaningful involvement in the Measure Z process in the future, and indeed we want to have meaningful involvement in all committees, commissions and boards, we will strongly consider and adopt the recommendations wherever possible.” I think we need to,” she said.

Vaughn stuck by his insistence on donating $1 million for roads, and after much debate, the board voted on a motion to do just that, while remaining staff members, including eliminating future mid-year grants, The recommendation was also adopted.

The motion passed 3-2, with Arroyo and Bushnell voting against it.

Others

• The commission approved Sheriff Billy Honsal's declaration of a regional state of emergency due to widespread flooding caused by record rainfall on Jan. 13. County Emergency Services Director Ryan Darby reported that the county sustained $4.7 million in damages, primarily to the county. roads and bridges. Superintendent Wilson noted that storms are becoming stronger due to climate change and said future land use planning should focus on avoiding development in risk areas. Damage reports will be submitted to the state and federal governments, and financial assistance may be available.
• An appeal of the Planning Commission's Nov. 16 approval of the McKinleyville subdivision and housing development project has been postponed for the second consecutive week. In this case, the delay was necessary because there was an error in the agenda packet and the appellant's information was mistakenly not included. Planning and Construction Director John Ford apologized for the inaction. The project will see the 2.47-acre site divided into his 19 lots for development of a multifamily housing project just east of McKinleyville Town Center. The Planning Commission approved the subdivision over the objections of neighbors, a significant number of whom submitted public comments today, criticizing the project's density, design, and parking facilities. They'll be able to “take another bite at the apple” (Born's favorite phrase) when the appeals hearing is rescheduled for 11 a.m. Friday.