Monterey County seeks public comment on draft Behavioral Health Services Act integrated plan; hearings set for May 28 and June 16

Monterey County is accepting public comment on its draft Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) integrated plan, county staff said May 13, and will present the plan and public feedback at an upcoming Behavioral Health Commission meeting before forwarding it to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors.

"Our approach has been intentional and measured," said Fabricio Tombo, assistant bureau chief with the county Behavioral Health Bureau, describing the integrated plan as a required county framework developed after Proposition 1. Tombo explained the BHSA transition aims to strengthen accountability, expand capacity and align services across the continuum of care.

Tombo said the county released the draft integrated plan and the three-year budget for public review on April 3 and invited stakeholders to submit comments via a QR code, by email to bhsa@countyofmonterey.gob, or by mail to 1270 Natividad Road, Salinas, California, attention BHSA. He said the Behavioral Health Commission would hold a public hearing May 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the Marina Clinic (299 12th Street, Marina) and the Board of Supervisors would review the plan at its June 16 meeting in the board chambers (168 West Halley South), both with Zoom options.

Tombo acknowledged a mismatch between slide text and website timing and clarified during the briefing that public comments will be accepted through May 18 at 5 p.m.; he said staff would correct the website or slide deck after the briefing. He described the state's required integrated-plan template as not particularly reader friendly and encouraged commenters to focus on concerns that matter to them.

The presentation referenced Proposition 1 and implementing bills described in the briefing as "Senate Bill 3 26" and "Assembly Bill 5 31," which Tombo said restructured how counties plan, fund and deliver behavioral health services. The county will compile public comments for presentation to the Behavioral Health Commission at the May 28 meeting and then bring the plan and comments to the Board of Supervisors for review on June 16.

For more information or to submit comments the county provided email bhsa@countyofmonterey.gob and a mailing address of 1270 Natividad Road, Salinas. The briefing noted staff can post the integrated plan link and QR code and answer follow-up questions after people review the materials.