California mental health commission forms three new advisory committees to speed work between meetings

The Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission voted to form three standing advisory committees to deepen work between full meetings and provide public, Bagley-Keene–compliant advice to the full commission. The new committees are the Budget and Fiscal Advisory Committee, the Legislative and External Affairs Advisory Committee, and the Program Advisory Committee.

The commission chair said the committees will be commissioner-only bodies with public access to committee meetings under the Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act. Chief counsel Sandra Gallardo explained the groups are advisory — they will not take formal actions such as…