Victorville City Council on Thursday adopted a resolution opposing the County of San Bernardino’s proposed expansion of a comprehensive treatment campus on roughly 29 acres at the southeast corner of Palmdale and Cobalt Road, citing a lack of meaningful community engagement and unresolved safety, traffic and school‑impact questions.

The 4–0 vote came after the county presented details of the project and school and community leaders urged the city to push for a pause. Mayor Pro Tem Herriman moved to adopt staff’s recommendation; Council member Irving seconded. Council members recorded their votes as "yes"; Council member Mora was absent.

Why it matters: The county is using state Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BCHIP) funds and other grants to expand local capacity for substance use disorder and behavioral‑health services. County presenters described a continuum of services that would add outpatient care, a youth wellness center and residential treatment beds. School officials and teachers said the campus as planned would sit immediately adjacent to three active campuses serving more than 4,000 students and could create traffic and emergency‑response challenges.

County presentation and county response: Diane Rundles, assistant executive officer for San Bernardino County, described phase 1 as funded in part by BCHIP and the county’s Community Care Expansion grant and said it would add outpatient co‑occurring services, a youth wellness center, adolescent psychiatric residential treatment, adult and youth residential SUD treatment and withdrawal management. Rundles said phase 1 does not include a sobering center and emphasized security measures including perimeter fencing and 24/7 staffing. On the meeting record she said the county "is actually going to pull phase 2 of this project," and that county staff will pursue additional conversations with the city and school district about siting and program details.

School district concerns: Carl Coles, superintendent of Victor Valley Union High School District, said the district supports behavioral‑health services but called the county’s approach "an unforced error" because schools and the district were not meaningfully consulted before construction began. Coles said the approved plan would increase capacity to about 210 beds and that the site is within close proximity to Silverado High School, Lorea Middle School and Cobalt Institute of Math and Science. He asked the city to press the county for a full impact study, alternative locations and a pause while community input is secured.

Public comment: Testimony at the council meeting reflected both support and opposition. Rachel Wish, a Silverado High School teacher, said the issue was not whether treatment is needed but that "the decision to move forward without conducting an impact study raises serious questions" for student safety and campus routines. Residents and students described feeling blindsided when fencing and construction activity began. Supporters, including Melissa Bucheri, a local therapist, and Roger Uminski, CEO of Citrus Counseling Services, urged the city to work with the county to preserve the funding opportunity and emphasized the region’s unmet need for services.

Council rationale and action: City staff and council members repeatedly acknowledged the need for services in the High Desert but said the county’s pace and limited local coordination were unacceptable. The resolution the council approved (listed on the meeting agenda as resolution 26‑005) opposes the current location and configuration, opposes award of BCHIP funding for projects proposed within the city in the current configuration, and directs city staff to transmit the position to the county board of supervisors, state legislators and relevant state agencies.

What happens next: County officials told the council they will engage further with city and school district leaders and that they intend to withdraw the phase‑2 application so those funds and plans can be reconsidered or repurposed. The resolution does not block the county’s legal authority to proceed but formalizes the city’s opposition and asks state and county officials to pause funding or construction until meaningful public engagement occurs.

Vote and procedural note: Motion to adopt the resolution was made by Mayor Pro Tem Herriman and seconded by Council member Irving; the clerk recorded four yes votes with Council member Mora absent. The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.