County updates supervisors on Care Court roll‑out and new Behavioral Health Services Act requirements

County behavioral health leaders briefed the Board of Supervisors on July 22 about the local rollout of California’s Care Court pathway and implementation planning for the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), the 2024 voter initiative that reshaped how mental‑health funds can be used.

Behavioral Health Director Ryan Quist and staff described Sacramento’s Care Court program, which launched in December and allows family members, providers and first responders to file civil petitions seeking court‑ordered services for people with schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders. Quist and staff emphasized that Care Court itself does not compel medication or treatment; rather the court may order the county to provide services and the initiative’s presence has a so‑called "black‑robe" effect, officials said, in which the court proceeding encourages some people to accept care.

County staff reported 74 petitions filed to date and 16 people accepted into the Care Court program; roughly two‑thirds of petitions that reach the court stage have been accepted, Quist said. The county described partnerships with probation, the public defender, courts and community providers and noted placement successes that used the county’s bridge‑housing and safe‑stay programs. Officials also identified practical barriers: locating individuals to serve, staffing constraints, housing shortages, co‑occurring substance use and safety risks for outreach teams operating in encampments.

Separately, county planning for BHSA implementation — the voter‑approved update to the Mental Health Services Act that takes effect July 1, 2026 — surfaced new statewide expectations. The law imposes an integrated planning requirement and directs counties to allocate existing MHSA/BHSA funds into three categories: 30% for housing interventions (half of that targeted to people who are chronically homeless), 35% for Full Service Partnerships (FSPs) and 35% for behavioral health services and supports (BHSS), with at least half of BHSS funds directed to early intervention.

"BHSA does not provide new funds; it repurposes existing ones and prescribes new rules," Quist said. County staff described the upcoming two‑phase community planning process: an initial round of broad "community conversations" (one session earlier in July drew more than 100 participants), followed by a second phase in which planners will present draft spending priorities and solicit further feedback. Officials noted the state’s secondary guidance is still arriving and that details of allowable uses are being refined.

Supervisors asked for more comparative data and requested the county coordinate with city partners ahead of a planned joint city‑county meeting in October. Quist said the county will return with further updates and data and that officials plan additional outreach to families, community groups, first responders and court partners to explain Care Court and BHSA pathways.