Dear Friends,

This past week, in my role as co-chair of the Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing, I joined the National Association of Counties (NACo) for their annual conference alongside elected leaders, executives and mental health advocates, including Dr. Drew Pinsky. We shared challenges, compared best practices and developed a unified advocacy agenda to guide counties’ collective legislative lobbying efforts across the nation. I submitted three policy resolutions on behalf of Los Angeles County, all unanimously approved.

We need to garner federal support so counties can effectively tackle the substance abuse and mental health crises that are visibly on our streets. Counties are on the frontlines and are accountable for helping those suffering from debilitating psychiatric conditions, including people experiencing homelessness and those in our jails. We need changes to federal policies that currently tie our hands and prevent our mental and behavioral health systems from scaling up to meet needs that are growing every day.

Counties must speak as one voice on these issues, which is our best shot at catalyzing bipartisan legislation that will help us fix gaps in our mental health systems that allow some of those with the most serious mental illnesses to tragically spend their lives on the streets, in emergency rooms, and in prison. I am committed to advocating for our communities in Los Angeles County to make sure we don’t look the other way.

Best wishes,

Kathryn Barger
Supervisor, Fifth District