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Moreno Valley council approves plan to spend opioid settlement funds to sustain mobile crisis teams and education programs
Summary
Council voted unanimously to adopt a plan directing opioid settlement payments toward continuing Riverside University Health System mobile crisis teams and a community education campaign; staff expect roughly $1.4 million already received and up to $3.7 million through 2038.
The Moreno Valley City Council on June 17 unanimously approved a plan to use opioid settlement money to sustain local mobile crisis response and run community education on addiction and overdose prevention.
City staff told the council the city has received about $1.4 million so far from national opioid settlements and expects about $3.7 million in total distributions through 2038. The staff recommendation, adopted by the council, prioritizes continued financial support for Riverside University Health System (RUHS) mobile crisis teams operating in Moreno Valley and a secondary educational campaign to raise public awareness of opioid and fentanyl risks and to expand naloxone distribution.
The staff report said the proposed plan would direct the “bulk of the funding” to continuing mobile crisis services that were created with grant money and could otherwise lapse when initial grant support ends. A second priority in the plan, required by settlement terms, is public education. Staff estimated $300,000–$400,000 could be used for an education and prevention effort developed through an RFP that could involve school districts, county behavioral health and community-based organizations.
During questions council members pressed staff on allowable uses under the settlements. Staff listed eligible expenditures that also commonly appear in opioid-expenditure plans statewide: naloxone (Narcan) distribution and training, medication-assisted treatment and screening, warm-handoff programs, diversion and reentry services, harm-reduction services (including syringe services where allowed), and data collection and evaluation tied to recovery services. Staff said RUHS already distributes naloxone and partners with community groups on training.
The council voted to: (a) approve the priorities for spending opioid settlement funds to sustain the RUHS mobile crisis teams and to fund an education/prevention campaign; and (b) authorize the city manager to enter necessary agreements and MOUs and to appropriate future distributions consistent with the plan and procurement rules. Council members said they wanted the $1.4 million currently on hand expended quickly to address local needs while future distributions arrive.
Councilmember vote comments emphasized helping high‑risk populations including youth and people experiencing homelessness. The vote was unanimous.
The action gives the city manager authority to negotiate MOUs with RUHS and to issue an RFP or partner directly with county behavioral health and local nonprofits for the education piece. Staff said the timing of future distributions will determine when and how the full plan is implemented through 2038.
The approved plan does not specify exact contract awards or the RFP scoring rubric; those will return to staff procurement processes or future council review when agreements are ready for execution.
Ending: The council’s decision immediately clears the way to move the existing settlement money into programs staff identified; details such as final service providers, contract terms and the RFP scope for the education campaign will be determined next through the city manager’s office and standard procurement steps.
