LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Behavioral Health Services on Tuesday said it is sharing information and raising concern regarding a proposed state budget change that could shift the non-federal share of Mobile Crisis costs from the state to counties. 

Mobile Crisis is currently delivered as a statewide Medi-Cal benefit and provides field-based behavioral health crisis response, stabilization and connection to care.

Mobile Crisis supports public safety and access by responding to behavioral health crises in the community, reducing unnecessary law enforcement involvement, and diverting avoidable emergency department utilization when clinically appropriate. 

In rural counties like Lake, Mobile Crisis is a core component of the emergency response system and helps ensure people in crisis can access timely, clinically appropriate support.

“Mobile Crisis is one of the most effective tools we have to respond to behavioral health crises quickly and safely in the community,” said Elise Jones, director of Lake County Behavioral Health Services. “If the financing structure changes in a way that shifts costs to counties, rural communities could face difficult decisions that reduce response capacity and shift the burden back to law enforcement, emergency departments, and the jail. We encourage preserving Mobile Crisis as a statewide benefit to protect access and public safety.”

“Mobile Crisis gets the right response to the right place at the right time specialized behavioral health professionals, not law enforcement, when it’s clinically appropriate,” said Lake County Sheriff-Coroner Luke Bingham. “It helps stabilize crises safely in the field and reduces pressure on 911 and emergency departments. If funding shifts to counties and Mobile Crisis capacity shrinks, the calls don’t disappear they shift back to 911, law enforcement, and emergency rooms, increasing strain across the public safety system.”

Lake County’s Mobile Crisis program has demonstrated significant community reach. Between June 30, 2024 and June 29, 2025, Mobile Crisis teams responded to 990 field incidents, with an average activation-to-arrival time of 21 minutes and 52 seconds.

For additional information, residents may contact their state legislative offices:
• Sen. Mike McGuire (Senate District 2);
• Assemblymember Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry (Assembly District 4).