Community organizations stand in solidarity with local, statewide, and county behavioral health leaders as they urge delayed implementation of SB 43 (Eggman). SB 43 threatens to weaken our already fragile mental health system by further exacerbating resources and undoing decades of trust, particularly among communities of color and those living with a disability.  

SB 43 faced fierce opposition from mental health advocates as it moved through the State Legislature and continues to experience opposition at the local level. To date, fifty-six counties have called upon their local Board of Supervisors to delay implementation. We urge the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to adopt an option in state law to defer implementation of new behavioral health legislation for two years. However, Los Angeles is not alone; all counties with the exception of San Francisco and San Luis Obispo have called on community voices. Californians are urging for community-centered approaches to mental health by seeking investments to prioritize using community-connected providers and trained peers as the primary responders. SB 43 does not respond to community demands and is rooted in undoing years of community-informed advocacy urging state leaders to move away from forced institutionalization.

At its December 19th meeting, the Board will consider a motion by Supervisor Horvath to defer implementation of SB 43 until January 1, 2026. The two-year delay in Horvath’s motion was authorized by the Legislature when it passed SB 43.    

"We applaud the introduction of a resolution in Los Angeles County to delay the implementation of SB 43 (Eggman), an action many counties are taking due to the unnecessary drastic impacts it would have on their residents. Behavioral health is a personal experience and any decision to seek care should be rooted in personal choice and not be forced. Californians urge statewide leaders to invest in community-centered care and culturally responsive care. We stand by community leaders in Los Angeles, and throughout California, as they seek to protect communities of color and all Californians from harsh, reactive mental health policies,” said Carolina Valle, Senior Policy Director at CPEHN.

SB 43 makes it easier to conserve people with mental health and substance use disorders. Forced care was a traumatic experience that disproportionately harmed generations of Black, Indigenous, Communities of Color living in this state. Advocates decry forced treatment but our concerns go beyond even that core value because the fact is, counties are not equipped to move forward with SB 43. The lack of preparedness risks placing community members in harm’s way rather than prioritizing care. California does not have enough beds and not enough staff to handle what is conservatively estimated to be a ten-fold increase in the number of people subject to the law. 

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is its own qualifying criteria, yet there are no public facilities to treat SUD. Californians are struggling to make ends meet at a time when mental health conditions are on the rise. BIPOC communities continue to face the brunt of these hardships and will be inherently impacted at higher rates by traumatic policies that seek to force care instead of reinvesting in community-defined practices, such as peers and Community Health Workers.

“It would be unconscionable for LA County to allow SB 43 to go into effect and purport to be taking people into a form of protective detention while having no plan or means to protect their lives in that detention,” said Clare Cortright, Policy Director for Cal Voices.

California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) is a statewide multicultural health advocacy organization dedicated to the advancement of health justice through racial equity. Since 1992, CPEHN has served California’s Black, Indigenous, Communities of Color (BIPOC) by bringing together and mobilizing historically excluded populations to advocate for public policies that advance health equity and improve health outcomes. For more information visit: https://www.cpehn.org/

Cal Voices is the oldest peer-run mental health advocacy agency in California. For more information visit: https://www.calvoices.org/

Disability Rights California (DRC) – Is the agency designated under federal law to protect and advocate for the rights of Californians with disabilities. The mission of drc is to defend, advance, and strengthen the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities. For more information visit: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org.