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Commission declines to merge two advisory committees after weeks of public opposition
Summary
After extensive public comment and debate, the Commission voted down a proposal to combine the Cultural & Linguistic Competency Committee and the Client & Family Leadership committee; commissioners and advocates proposed a hybrid schedule as an alternative and asked staff to return with more options.
The Commission for Behavioral Health declined to approve an immediate merger of two advisory groups that represent culturally and linguistically diverse communities and client and family lived experience, after a day of sustained public comment and a recorded vote that failed on the floor.
During agenda item five, Commissioner Rachel Chambers reported that the merged Client, Family and Community inclusion (CFC) advisory committee had met three times and achieved quorum, and that a majority of meeting participants had voted in favor of keeping a combined structure. But dozens of community organizations, advocacy groups and individual commenters urged the Commission not to make the merger permanent.
"Solidarity does not mean consolidation," Josephine Alvarado Mena of Safe Passages told commissioners, urging the…
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