CFC advisory committee votes to recommend merger of two advisory panels

Rachelle Chambers, chair of the Client, Family, Community Inclusion, Lived Experience and Diversity advisory committee, on the morning of the meeting moved the committee into a formal vote and said the group would forward its recommendation to the full Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission.

After a structured discussion about whether to continue the merged committee (combining the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Committee and the Client and Family Leadership Committee) or return to two separate bodies, committee member Eugene moved that the CFC recommend the full commission combine the committees effective immediately; Carolina Ayala seconded. Krishanji called the roll and the motion passed by majority (6 yes, 4 no).

The debate leading up to the vote featured competing views on representation and effectiveness. Stanite said the joint committee had been "empowering" and promoted learning across program lines, while others pressed that separate committees better protect voices from communities of color and LGBTQ+ populations. "I'm really concerned about joining the 2 committees because I feel that it's really important that people from communities of color and the LGBTQ plus community have representation and have their voices heard," a committee member said during the discussion.

Chair Chambers framed the question in practical terms, emphasizing quorum and the committee's recent accomplishments: the merged CFC had helped secure input on two RFP outlines that later were adopted by the full commission, she said. "We are stronger together," Chambers said, urging members to weigh both inclusion and the committee's ability to get work done.

Richard Zaldivar, who participated in the roll call, also urged a pragmatic approach: he recommended a time-limited sunset or review of the merger so the groups could continue to learn from one another before a permanent structural change. Several members proposed hybrid approaches, such as maintaining a joint committee while creating time-limited subgroups or periodic joint meetings to preserve both alignment and specialized focus.

The roll call recorded six votes for the motion and four opposed; Vice Chair Myra Alvarez was marked absent for the vote. The chair said the CFC will forward its recommendation and the full commission will decide whether to adopt the change.

The committee moved on to the next agenda item, inviting public and stakeholder input on the impacts of the state's behavioral health funding changes.

The CFC will transmit the recommendation to the full commission and promised to include members' feedback on minority and equity concerns when presenting the recommendation.