San Joaquin expands state-funded felony mental-health diversion program, authorizes $49.7 million agreement

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a retroactive agreement Tuesday with the California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) to expand a felony pretrial diversion program aimed at people with serious mental illness who have been found incompetent to stand trial.

The Board approved the county’s acceptance of approximately $49,659,000 in state funding for a program that runs from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029. The expanded program raises the county’s capacity to serve up to 62 participants per year — significantly higher than an initial pilot that served roughly 26 individuals during 2022–2025.

Public Defender Judy Ann Velado, who presented the item with Behavioral Health Deputy Director Jeff Sabian, said the program seeks to connect eligible defendants with housing, psychiatric care, medication management, counseling, substance‑use treatment, life-skills training and transportation instead of committing them to long state-hospital stays. “Diverting those who could be safely treated in the community will reduce the long wait list for admission to the state hospital and will reserve the limited beds for individuals who require more intensive inpatient treatment,” Velado said.

Eligibility for the DSH diversion program is limited to people facing felony charges who are found incompetent to stand trial, who have a qualifying serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder, and who do not pose an unreasonable public-safety risk for community-based treatment. Penal Code section 1001.36 and the DSH program guidance specify excluded offenses and safety criteria; the county must document eligibility and court approval for diversion orders.

The county’s pilot program (07/01/2022–05/31/2025) enrolled 31 people: 10 have completed the program (most remain linked to county behavioral-health services), 10 are currently enrolled and several others were returned to custody when diversion was judged unsuitable. Behavioral Health Director Genevieve Valentine told supervisors the county’s baseline for felony incompetent-to‑stand-trial (IST) commitments — set by the state using data from 2020–2021 — is lower than current local practice and that diversion helps avoid state penalties tied to higher IST numbers.

Behavioral Health will contract with community providers to deliver housing and clinical services under the grant and will provide a court liaison to assist with screenings, risk assessment and transition planning. The state grant allocates a per‑bed daily rate for direct client services and allows up to $1 million per year for justice‑partner administrative costs (staffing, monitoring and program administration), plus funds for a BHS court liaison.

The Board voted 5-0 to approve the agreement, authorize the Public Defender to sign the state contract and to receive and deposit related checks. Supervisors praised the program as a way to provide care while reducing state-hospital backlogs and potentially lowering long-term county costs associated with repeated hospital commitments.

Ending: With Board approval, San Joaquin will expand the community-based felony diversion pilot into a larger, five‑year program funded by DSH; county staff said they will return with contracts and program-monitoring details as services are procured.