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Board approves Alameda County's 3-year BHSA plan and rolls over Measure C pediatric funds for FY26-27
Summary
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the county's three-year Behavioral Health Services Act integrated plan and authorized rolling unspent Measure C pediatric funds into the FY26-27 budget; staff said carryover will help balance the transition to the new BHSA funding structure.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted June 16 to approve the county's three-year Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) integrated plan and to authorize rolling unspent Measure C pediatric funds into the 2026-27 budget, actions county health officials said are intended to smooth a transition from the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) to the new state framework.
"For 26-27, we do have 13,000,000 planned," Alameda County Health Director Anika Choudhary said of the pediatric account and rollover request, explaining the county needs time to complete RFPs and hire staff. Choudhary said the board previously approved a three-year spend plan and staff are asking to carry forward unspent funds so projects and contracts can be completed.
Anika Choudhary introduced a broader presentation on BHSA by ACBH deputy director Vanessa Baker and division director Tracy Hazleton. Baker and Hazleton outlined key differences between the prior MHSA framework and BHSA: a standardized state template, requirement to include all behavioral-health funding streams in the county's integrated plan, stronger standardized data collection, and statewide priority goals. "This is a 3 year integrated plan, a 3 year balanced budget," Hazleton said, noting the plan must be submitted to the state Department of Health Care Services by June 30 to meet new regulatory requirements.
Hazleton summarized the BHSA budget components: behavioral health services and supports (BHSS), full service partnerships (FSP), and housing interventions (30% of BHSA funds under the new structure). She said the county's three-year budget relies in part on carryover from MHSA; for example, the BHSS component was shown with roughly $80 million budgeted, of which a substantial portion is carryover. Hazleton noted an existing $14 million prudent reserve and said counties face constrained state revenue for BHSA as allocations shift.
Board members pressed staff on prevention vs. early intervention distinctions under BHSA (where state rules narrow prevention funding and emphasize early intervention and Medi-Cal billing), asked for district-level breakdowns of housing subsidies, and requested updates at committee/work-session levels when the county submits intermittent updates that incorporate Measure W bridge funds.
The board approved both the Measure C pediatric rollover and the BHSA integrated plan by unanimous roll-call vote after supervisors moved the items off consent. Health staff said the county will return with interim updates after the state portal and reporting templates are in place and when additional local bridge funds (measure W) are added to the budget.
What's next: The county will post the approved integrated plan, submit the plan to DHCS by the regulatory deadline, and prepare intermittent updates (including Measure W bridge funding) for fall committee review and a future board agenda.
Provenance: Presentation and Q&A during Items 12 and 16 on June 16, 2026.
