July Meetings 

Monday, July 10

— 12:00 noon: the Data Committee of the Care First Jails Last Task Force should meet.  Link.

Tuesday, July 11

—9:30 a.m.: the Board of Supervisors will meet.  Agenda.  Link.  The meeting begins with a closed session (they will discuss lawsuits, including one by the relatives of Maurice Monk, who had SMI and died in jail). The open session rarely begins before 10:45.  

Some agenda items:

2.  (Social Services) Approves sole-source agreements with 12 organizations (including Abode and BOSS) operating shelters for $24M over 3 years.  Money is from the General Fund.  The county is said to have over 7000 homeless, of whom 1710 at a time are staying in shelters.

6  (Behavioral Health) Amends ACBH’s contract with the City of Berkeley for the latter to operate Mental Health Plans to reflect new reim-bursement rates under CalAIM.

7  (Behavioral Health) Extends a sole-source contract for 4 years for $1.28M with Alameda Health Consortium, to provide “leadership, coordinating, and consulting” for an alliance of 8 Federally Qualified Health Centers (e.g., La Clínica).  Money is from MHSA (though the work described in the memo doesn’t involve mental illness)

8.  (Behavioral Health) Approves agreements with out-of-network providers for people on Medi-Cal needing individually designed services. There are 7 such individuals right now. Estimated cost is $250k a year. Services like this are usually covered by “Services As Needed” agree-ments.  Out-of-network providers complain about the complexity of Alameda County’s contracting rules. Money is from 1991 Realignment and 2011 Realignment.

10 (Behavioral Health & GSA) Approves a $479k contract with The Indigo Project (Roberta Chambers) to be the county’s consultant for the implementation of CARE Court.  Indigo was the only bidder on this contract.  20% of the contract will be sublet out to SKS Consulting, a certified SLEB.  Money is from “CARE Court start-up funding.”

11 (Health Care Services) Increases the amount in the Housing Solutions for Health Vendor Pool to extend contracts with Abode and East Bay Innovations to provide housing and housing-related services to people exiting medical respite facilities and skilled nursing facilities. 

14 (Health Care Services) Approves a contract with Alameda Health Services to provide services to low-income uninsured people (Health-Pac).

15 (Health Care Services) Increases the Housing Solutions for Health Vendor Pool by $409k to pay Katherine Gale to support “coordinated entry” and to Covenant House to support its Youth Advisory Board.  Money is from HHAP round 3 and California Emergency Solutions and Housing Round 2.

17  (Health Care Services) Approves $200k from the Housing Solutions for Health vendor pool for Bay Area Legal Aid to represent homeless people seeking housing.

18  (Health Care Services) Approves 75k for Oakland Pharmacy to provide pharmacy medication and supplies to Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless. Money is in part from a federal Health Resources and Services Administration grant (not clear). 

19 (Health Care Services) Approves $810 k total for 19 nonprofits for “capacity building for housing community supports services.”  Money is from the Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program. 

20  (Health Care Services) Approves a one-year extension for $416 k of a contract with BrowneInc for “brand redesign services.”  Money is from the federal ARPA grant.

22 (Health Care Services) Approves $80 k for Tipping Point Community Youth Homelessness Project to prevent homelessness in Transitional Age Youth.  Not clear where the money comes from.

23 (Health Care Services) Approves contracts for $1.8 M for street health outreach with Roots, Abode, Lifelong, and Tiburcio Vasquez Clinic.  Money is from HHAP, OHCC General Funds, Health Resources and Services Administration, Measure A one-time COVID funds, and MHSA.

27 (Health Care Services) Approves amendments with various medical, mental health, and public health vendors spending Measure A money.

29 (Health Care Services) Accepts $500 k from Alameda Alliance for Health for a Legal Services Pilot Project  addressing homelessness.   

31(Health Care Services) Approves amended agreements for $515 K with Strategic EMS Consulting & with BOSS to operate the Safe Parking Program & Fairmont Navigation Center respectively.  Money is from State One-Time Whole Person funds, HHAP round 3, & Boomerang.

43 (Supervisor Carson) Awards $300 k to La Familia to operate its El Chante drug rehab residence.  Money is from Dist. 5 Fiscal Management Rewards funds.

51 (Community Development) Approves amendments to agreements with four contractors to provide services to the unsheltered, including $88k for BOSS for mental health services.  Money is from “Boomerang” (Shelter Crisis/Affordable Housing Fund).

56 (Community Development and Social Services Agency) Approves a year-long amendment to a contract with First Presbyterian Church of Hayward for services to the homeless including safe parking & tiny homes.  The $2M comes from Boomerang, ESG, & Social Services Agency.

78 (Probation) approves $1M for incentives to clients for good behavior (bus tickets, gift cards, food, clothes, etc.)  Money comes in part from AB 109.

82 (Sheriff) Approves $140 k for people to attend a Narcotic Officers’ Association, plus uniforms and body armor.  Money is from Alameda County Narcotics Task Force Asset Forfeiture funds.

84 (Sheriff) approves an MOU between the Sheriff and La Familia to provide pre-release counseling (CBI and job training) to people in Santa Rita.  Money (amount unspecified) is from the Inmate Welfare Fund.

88 (Sheriff) Extends contract with Global Tel*Link through 4/24 to provide tablets for phone conversations to inmates at Santa Rita.  Funding comes from “inmate telephone services purchases.”

90 (Sheriff) Extends contract with Global Tel*Link for internet video visitation for people at Santa Rita.  The services is funded by commis-sions (paid by people in the jail?)

102 (Health Care Services, consent calendar) Extends at no cost an agreement with Elemeno Health to support a web-based platform for gathering data about homeless and crisis clients. 

110 (Supervisor Miley, consent calendar) Appoints Oscar Perez (a Sheriff’s representative) to the Care First Jails Last Task Force.

July 11 in Sacramento:  8:30 a.m.: Assembly Judiciary Cmte. will consider SB-43, Eggman’s Grave Disability bill, and SB-35, Umberg’s amendments to last year’s CARE Court bill.  No phone testimony is allowed.  Contact us if you are interested in attending.

July 11 in Sacramento: 1:30 p.m.:  Assembly Health Cmte. will have the first hearing on the newly revised SB-326, Eggman’s bill incorporating rating most of Newsom’s “Modernization.”  No discussion allowed. Procedural only to move to set up discussion at a session in August. 

Friday, July 14 

–Time?:  Budget Committee of the Care First Jails Last Task Force, which meets every second Friday, should meet.  Committee is made up of Corrine Lee of Probation, Michelle Staratt of the Housing & Community Development Dept., our own Kimberly Graves, & Judge Greg Syren.    Expected meeting link (Microsoft Teams).

Monday, July 17

— 10:00 a.m.: Alameda Co. BOS Health Committee should meet.
— 1:30 p.m.: Alameda Co. BOS Personnel/Legislation/Administration
Committee should meet.

— Time?: Alameda Co. Mental Health Advisory Board should meet.

Tuesday, July 18

–11: 00 a.m.:  California Health & Human Services will hold a training
on “supported decision-making” under the CARE Act.  To register.  

It’s
possible this might be limited to people from counties implementing
the CARE Act early (SF, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, etc.)

Thursday, July 20

 –1:00 p.m.:  Care First Jails Last Task Force will meet.  Link.

— 5:30 p.m.: Family Dialogue Group may meet (or it may meet next month)

Monday, July 24

–2:30 p.m.:  Alameda Co. BOS Social Services Committee will meet.

Wednesday, August 2

— 9:00 a.m.: California HHS will hold a training on the role of
the Supporter in CARE Court.  To register.  (It’s
possible this training might be limited to people from counties implementing
the CARE Act early (San Francisco, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and others).

May 2023

Meetings

END OF MAY / EARLY JUNE

Not many are posted.  The Board of Supervisors calls “Special” meetings, including about the budget, on a day’s notice.  They are difficult to keep up with and to post on calendar.  Best thing to do is check here frequently:  https://bos.acgov.org/broadcast/

Tuesday, May 30 and Wednesday, May 31:

— 9:30 am, the Board of Supervisors will have special meetings in Livermore.  Tuesday agenda.  Wednesday agenda. Possible link (not sure if will be available via Zoom). The meetings seem to be about internal Board processes: ·  Revisions to Board Operating Policies ·  Ethics Policy ·  Board Priorities and Initiatives ·  Team Building Exercises ·  (on Wednesday) Public Employee Ethics Training

Saturday, May 20

— 12:30 to 5:00 pm the Supportive Housing Community Land Alliance (funded by Alameda Co. Behavioral Health with MHSA Innovation money) will host a discussion by board & care operators and residents at the Oakland Museum.

Monday, May 22

— 10:00 am, there will be a joint meeting of the Health Committee and the Public Protection Committee of the Board of Supervisors.  Agenda.  Link.  Two items on the agenda:  (1)  A presentation by the Dept of Public Health on Violence Prevention.  Doesn’t appear to address treatment of serious mental illness as a violence prevention strategy.  (2)A progress report on the Care First Jails Last Task Force (which seems to be progressing very slowly).

— 1:30 pm, the BOS Personnel-Legislative-Admin Cmte. will meet.  Agenda.  LInk. Health Care Services is asking that the county oppose a measure (AB 1168) reassigning responsibility among jurisdictions for EMS services. (Not sure how that affects our families. Some firefighters support the measure, many counties & ambulance services oppose it)

Tuesday, May 23

— 10:00 am, the BOS will have a Work Meeting (Special Meeting), in person & virtual.  Agenda.  Link. Meeting starts with closed session, after which there are 5 agenda items, each with its own public comment period.  It looks like there are several opportunities to speak up about budget issues at the jail – for example, whether they need to put $26 million into an expansion (voted on May 9) for construction of a Mental Health Programs and Services Unit which is not needed because its design keeps changing, the jail is only half full, and we need to move the seriously mentally ill out of jail.  (1) (from Sup Tam) Calling for independent investigation of the Sophia Mason child welfare case; (2)  Federal/State/County Budget (3) i. Update on Alameda Sheriff’s Office Transition Plan (3ii).  Update on AB 1185, Sheriff’s Oversight (4ii) Update on Reimagine Adult Justice

— 4:00 pm, the Adult Cmte of the MHAB will meet.  Agenda.  Link.  There will be a presentation by Asian Health Services & La Clinica about difficulties Asians & Hispanics face in getting mental health care.  Kate Jones, director of ACBH’s Adult/Older System of Care, usually gives a report; this is the part of ACBH that deals with allocation of scarce hospital beds & board-and-care beds for the conserved. Public comment is allowed.

Wednesday, May 24

— 11:00 am PDT, the Alliance for Health Policy and the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance will hold a teleconference on “Making the System Work for People with Schizophrenia.”  They will discuss schizophrenia & psychosis as brain disorders & the policy questions they raise. Link to register. 

Thursday, May 25

— 10:00 am, the BOS Public Protection Cmte (Supes Márquez & Miley) will meet.  Agenda.  Link.  Two items: (1) Update by Capt. Justin Miguel of the Sheriff’s Office on “Santa Rita Jail Programs & Contract Service Provider Operation.” This is a follow-up on a Nov. 2022 update by the Sheriff’s Office.  (2) Update by Wendy Still of the Reimagine Adult Justice Project on “Arrest & Jail Population Data Analysis Elements 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.”

— 1:00 pm the interagency Care First Jails Last Task Force will meet.  Link.

— 5:30 pm, ACBH’s Office of Family Empowerment will host a monthly meeting of family members.Link.  A representative of the Public Guardian’s Office will answer questions.

MONDAY, MAY  15th 

3:00 pm, the MHAB meets, in person & remotely.  Agenda.  Link.  The last 40 minutes of the meeting (from 4:20 on) are supposed to be a hearing on the current 3-year Mental Health Services Act plan; they have these formal hearings on every plan, even after getting
written comments & focus group comments.  Draft specific comments by the Mental Health Advisory Board on the three-year plan.

TUESDAY, MAY 16th

–9:30  am, the BOS meets, in person & virtually. Agenda. Link. Public comment is allowed at the very beginning, during the discussion of an item (if you happen to hear it come up), & at the end. The meeting begins with a closed session. “Proclamations” addressed no earlier than 11 AM. We’re never sure which items to include from the agenda. There are dozens of items about county agencies relating to the justice-involved, homeless, prisoners, Medi-Cal, & foster children. All these populations are disproportionately mentally ill & probably disproportionately SMI, whether or not the service providers are aware of the need to provide any special services to the SMI.
     Some agenda items:
     +6 Extends for one year for $547 k a contract with West Coast Children’s Clinic for the Family Urgent Response System which tries to
stabilize foster families by phone calls aimed among other things to avoid psychiatric hospitalization & law enforcement involvement.
     +8 Accepts a $639K state grant for the County Workforce Development Bd. from the Prison-to-Employment 2.0 grant initiative. The grant will give employment & training services to about 75 formerly incarcerated & justice-involved people.
     +10 Awards a new competitive contract for $138 k with CBO Destiny Arts Center for a wellness program for McClymonds High School. Funding is from Measure A.
     +11. Secures state matching funds for Children’s & Eden Hospitals for trauma services. The County match is $4.5M, $3.9M from Measure C
& $612 k from charitable donations.
     +12. report on the Health Care & Behavioral Health agency’s trust funds. Behavioral Health has $56 M set aside for the implementation of the 3-year MHSA plan; $14.5M is set aside for MHSA as a “prudent reserve” in case of economic downturns; & an additional $7.3 M of MHSA money has been set aside unspent for Capital Facilities & Technology Needs; Workforce, Education, & Training; and/or a Special Needs Housing Program. The Special Needs Housing Program has been used in other counties to build apartment buildings with units set aside for the SMI. 

     +14. Provides $15K to Berkeley Place to renovate Casa de la Vida, a group residence at 420 Fairmont, & bring it up to code. It used to
be a main placement for people with SMI in Assisted Outpatient Treatment & the justice-involved. Money is from Dist. 5 discretionary Measure A funds. (Berkeley Place also seems to have applied for a State license for a 14-bed Casa de La Vida on Henry St. in West Oakland.)
     +15. Extends by two months a contract with La Clínica to provide dental services to homeless people. La Clinica plans to complete  treatment plans for about 80 homeless people by March 31 2023. Also extends a contract with Shannon Smith-Bernardin for advice on how to provide street health in homeless encampments.
     +16. Approves $12M for Alameda Health Services to provide medical services to the indigent (through “HealthPac”). The money is from 1991 Realignment.
     +21. Awards $15K of District 4 ARPA money to Dr. Herbert Guice Christian Academy in East Oakland which could not do fundraisers during
the pandemic. 
     +23: Awards  $15K of District 4 discretionary funds to consultant Lisa MacCarley to evaluate probate & conservatorship programs.
Part of her task is to evaluate public files of contentious conservatorship proceedings—probably not LPS conservatorship proceedings—and help prepare the conservatorship calendar for a potentially much larger case load.
     +23.1, 24: small awards of Dist 3 fiscal management awards by Supes Haubert & Tam
     +26. Increases funding by $188K for three agencies
providing housing for the formerly homeless. Money is from federal “Boomerang” funds (?).
     +31. Authorizes bids for the construction of a new fiber optic camera network at Santa Rita Jail.
     +36. (cont’d from last week) Sets salaries for Forensic BH Clinical Supervisor & Forensic BH Clinical Manager
     +39, 40. Changes which part of the Santa Rita Jail property provides security for some state bonds.
     +41 (cont’d from last week) Authorizes the spending of $305K from the DA Trust fund for a contractor (Tryfacta) who helped onboard DA
staff.
     +44. Increases by $74K the contract with BridgeForth Consulting for assessment, training, coaching, & roadmapping consulting for
the Public Defender’s office regarding structural racism.
     +68: Resignation of Loren Farrar from Tam’s district from the MHAB.

     +70. “As time permits” update on transparency & accountability  in ranked choice voting results.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17th

–11:00 am, the state CARE Act Working Group will meet for the second time. Agenda & link. The physical meeting is at 1215 O Street, room 110 A & B, in Sacramento.

—4:30 pm, the Criminal Justice Cmte. of the MHAB will discuss Behavioral Health Court, one of the main ways people with SMI can be diverted from jail. Link. Mas Morimoto of the DA’s office, Brian Caruth of the Public Defenders, & Penny Bernhisel of ACBH should be there. The DA would like to make more people eligible for Behavioral Health Court; Judge Syren, however, has said he can’t expand the program without more Crisis Residential beds (of the Jay Mahler/Woodroe Place/Amber House class).

THURSDAY, MAY 18th

–10:00 am the State Senate Appropriations Cmte.  is supposed to have a hearing on certain bills: SB 43, SB 45, SB 65, SB 326, SB 363, SB 513.  The agenda (and phone number if you want to call in) should be posted there soon.

MONDAY, MAY  8^th

–10:00 am, SB-43, the bill expanding the “grave disability” standard for conservatorship, will be heard by the state Senate Appropriations Cmte..  This Appropriations Cmte. hears dozens of bills a week and often puts them in the “suspense file” to deal with later.  It is possible, though difficult, to call in and give a well-timed one-sentence statement over the phone.  Call-in instructions should be posted soon on the Cmte. page at the link above.

–10:00 am, the Alameda County BOS Health Cmte. meets.  Agenda.  Link.  Two items on the agenda:

Reports by Michelle Starattand by the Community Development Agency on Measure A1 (which is different from Measure A and is for housing).

A report on the Fairmont tiny homes (which they want to convert to 100% housing for people with medical needs) and on Alameda Co. Street Health Teams.

–Personnel/Admin/Legislative Cmte. meets.  Agenda.  Link.  HCSA supports AB 1060 which would require Medi-Cal to pay for Narcan (naloxone, which can save the life of a person overdosing on Fentanyl).

TUESDAY, MAY 9^th

–9:30 am:  BOS meeting.  Agenda.  Link.  There is a “set matter” at 11 AM (proclamations, plus item 91, increased fees for some homes on private roads in Fairview). Some agenda items (they seem unusually cryptic this week):

8.  Changes the name of the Alameda County Network of Mental Health Clients to “Peer Wellness Collective.”  This entity has provided “advocacy and peer support services” to ACBH for 40 years.

9.  Makes final adjustments to Medi-Cal reimbursement totaling $759 k to 16 contractors providing care to the seriously mentally ill (“Specialty Mental Health Services”).  Beneficiaries include Abode, Homeless Action Center, Bonita House, BOSS, Fred Finch, La Clínica, Mental Health Association of Alameda County, and others.

10  Accepts $278 k in federal SAMHSA (“PATH”) money for people with SMI experiencing homelessness.  BOSS has helped 41 people, with 2 of them securing permanent housing.

11  Accepts settlements in lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and drugstores that will total $40-46 million over 18 years.  The County already accepted $5.85 million.  The state requires at least half the money to be spent on a list of opioid abatement strategies including medication-assisted treatment.  I wonder if the other half of the money can be spent on things not related to opioids.

12.  Increases by $900 K the budget for non-contracted (including out-of-county?) hospitals providing inpatient psych services.  Money comes from 1991 Realignment.

16. Gives $300 K of District 5 Enhancing Vision 2026 Funds to the Oakland Private Industry Council for job training and employment services.

17.  Increases reimbursement rates to Alameda Alliance for Health for Enhanced Care Management which seems to be a name for services to the SMI under Cal-AIM

18. Gives an additional $357 k to Covenant House for a mid-county shelter under construction for Transitional Age Youth.  Funding is from the state HHAP Round 2 program.

19.  Accepts $12 M in housing money from HHAP Round 4.

20.  Approves an agreement with Alameda Point Collaborative to buy land from the feds to build a 50-bed respite and clinic for homeless people with acute or terminal health conditions at Crab Cove in Alameda.  $3.47 M is to come from MHSA and $6.79 M from Measure A.  Also on site will be a 100-bed home for seniors funded by Measure A1.  

24.  Gives $169 k to Corporation for Supportive Housing and $39 k to Aspire for training and capacity building related to housing programs

26.1  Establishes an Elections Commission for Alameda County 27-29.  Give small amounts of ARPA and Fiscal Management Rewards funds to various nonprofits and businesses

51.  Commits $26 million in County match funding to the “Santa Rita Jail Mental Health Program and Services Unit.”  Increases the budget for that project by $18.9 M, to $81 M total.  Original funding was from SB 863 of 2014.  Since then, as the memo describes, the project has changed locations and purposes, and now includes workspaces for 107 full-time-equivalent ACBH workers.  Its design is not final.  The $26 million County contribution will come from the Capital Financing Plan Designation and other sources.

52.  Establishes pay scales for supervisors of behavioral health workers in the jail (Forensic Behavioral Health Clinician I and II).  Salaries include a 15% incentive for working in the jail and a 10% incentive to attract more candidates.

60.  Approves the Sheriff’s revised military equipment list.

“As time permits” update on ranked-choice voting.

SATURDAY, MAY 13^th

— 10:30 am is FASMI’s general meeting.  Mark Gale, Criminal Justice Chair for Greater LA NAMI, wll speak.  Reply for link.

MONDAY, MAY 15^th

— 3:00 pm, the Mental Health Advisory Board would be expected to meet.  Link.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17^th

— 4:30 pm, the Criminal Justice Cmte. of the MHAB will discuss Behavioral Health Court, one of the main ways people with SMI can be diverted from jail.  Link. Mas Morimoto of the District Attorney’s office and Brian Caruth of the Public Defenders will be there.  The DA would like to make more people eligible for Behavioral Health Court; Judge Syren, however, has said he can’t expand the program without more Crisis Residential beds (of the Jay Mahler/Woodroe Place/Amber House class).

— The next scheduled meeting of the State CARE Act Working Group, a state oversight agency.  People may want to go to Sacramento to attend in person, but virtual comment is possible at the end of the meeting.  More details next week .

JUNE

Tuesday, June 6:

–9:30 am is the next scheduled regular Board of Supervisors meeting

Saturday, June 10:

–10:30 am – FASMI general meeting. Contact us for link.

–11:00 am – the Care First Community Coalition will have another annual Alameda County Budget Training session. These sessions are full of useful information.  Register. 

Monday, June 12:

–Data Working Group of the Care First Jails Last interagency task force will meet, and talk about demographics and the need for beds and services.  Look for notice on the Care First Task Force home page.

Tuesday June 13:

–9:30 am – the Board of Supervisors is supposed to adopt its final budget. A demonstration in protest of their spending decision is being planned.  Watch for upcoming events.