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July 12
1900 - Pacific Telephone & Telegraph establishes Newhall exchange; SCV gets first phone [story]
old telephone


The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to overhaul the county’s response to residents having health crises, directing officials to design a system that dispatches experts in health and de-escalation — not police — during emergencies.

Advocates for L.A. County residents experiencing homelessness have long argued that having unarmed workers skilled in addressing substance abuse and mental illness respond to certain 911 calls would be a safer and more appropriate crisis response alternative.

L.A. County residents who call police during a mental health crisis have for years faced the uncertainty of either being provided medical attention or experiencing an aggressive, and sometimes deadly, response from law enforcement.

Supervisor Janice Hahn said during the board’s meeting Tuesday the county’s current alternative to a police-only response is falling short.

Hahn cited a Los Angeles Times article on Eric Briceno, a man experiencing mental illness who was killed by LA County Sheriff’s Department officers this past March, as evidence of a breakdown in the system.

The department’s Mental Evaluation Team, a program that pairs an officer with a licensed mental health expert to answer emergency health calls, failed to respond to Briceno’s family’s call for support.

Briceno was beaten, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser at least seven times in his room by officers.

“This is a problem,” said Hahn. “It’s a tragic failure and we need to fix it.”

Hahn has spearheaded the county’s efforts to revamp its health crisis response system, introducing a motion approved this past March to begin shaping a new plan with input from social service groups and health, fire and law enforcement agencies.

The new health crises response system will be rooted in the county’s “care first, jail last” framework, a set of governing principles recommended by the board’s Alternatives To Incarceration workgroup.

The work group — composed of community organizations, health experts and police accountability advocates — points to fatal police shootings of homeless people with mental illness, such as the 2015 killing of Charly “Africa” Keunang in L.A.’s Skid Row, as evidence of a system beyond reform.

In June, the Board of Supervisors voted to develop a public phone number similar to 911 that residents can call during a health crisis in order to access both medical and social services.

L.A. County Department of Mental Health director Jonathan Sherin told supervisors during the virtual board meeting Tuesday that his department now has a direct phone line that police can call during health emergencies to connect residents with services.

Sherin said his department will study how 911 call management can move to a non-police agency that receives calls and determines where to send unarmed, medically trained crisis response units.

“Institutional inequality is at play in big fashion when it comes to how we respond to communities,” Sherin told the board. “We need to meet health and human service needs in our communities with health and human service responses. We need to help people who are suffering and get them services, not punishment.”

In a report to the board last month, Sherin said a “regional crisis call center” is one of the three components of the county’s revamped health crises response system.

The other two components are a mobile team of trained crisis responders and a network of facilities where people in crisis can be stabilized before being connected to other services.

Under the motion approved Tuesday, the county will hire a consultant to audit its existing crisis response system and propose immediate changes as well as strategies for securing long-term state and federal funding.

The motion calls for a report to the board in 60 days.

In another board action, supervisors approved $72 million in initial funding to launch the Alternatives to Incarceration initiative, which will be led by former L.A. County Superior Court Judge Songhai Armstead.

The project will divert thousands of people away from jails and into health and social service programs, an effort supervisors believe will reduce harm to communities of color and save the county money.

Supervisors cited a University of California, Los Angeles, study released last week found that in 2019, the county spent $154 million booking Black people — who make up 8% of county residents but represent nearly one-third of the jail population — into police custody.

“For far too long, the county has been lopsided in its resource allocation — despite knowing that no one gets well in a cell,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said in a statement after the vote. “This budget represents a significant step towards balancing investments in community services, health services, as well as accountable and responsible law enforcement services.”

— By Martin Macias Jr., CNS

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SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025
July 14: Hart Park Officially Transfers to City of Santa Clarita Control
The city of Santa Clarita has officially signed off on the walk-thru/hand over of William S. Hart Park, said officials from Supervisor Katheryn Barger's office in a statement released on Friday, July 11.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025
Free Old Town Newhall Weekend Shuttle Launched
To alleviate parking and make it easier for residents and visitors to explore Santa Clarita’s Premier Arts and Entertainment District in Old Town Newhall, the city has launched the free Summer Shuttle Service Pilot Program.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025
Santa Clarita Voices Episode Seven Podcast Available Now
The city of Santa Clarita has announced the release of the seventh episode of Santa Clarita Voices, the city’s official podcast, that highlights the stories, experiences and conversations from city leaders and unique members of the Santa Clarita community.
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Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a business meeting Wednesday, July 16, beginning at 5 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 3 p.m.
July 16: COC Board to Accept Report on COC Foundation Gifts 2023-24
The city of Santa Clarita has officially signed off on the walk-thru/hand over of William S. Hart Park, said officials from Supervisor Katheryn Barger's office in a statement released on Friday, July 11.
July 14: Hart Park Officially Transfers to City of Santa Clarita Control
Scarlet Hope Southern California invites the Santa Clarita Valley community to its inaugural Brunch & Bloom fundraiser on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 11 a.m.
Aug. 24: Brunch & Bloom ‘A Fundraising Event’
The city of Santa Clarita and SantaClaritaArts.com is seeking speakers and proposals for the Fourth Annual Business for Artists Conference.
Fourth Annual Business for Artists Conference Seeks Speakers
To alleviate parking and make it easier for residents and visitors to explore Santa Clarita’s Premier Arts and Entertainment District in Old Town Newhall, the city has launched the free Summer Shuttle Service Pilot Program.
Free Old Town Newhall Weekend Shuttle Launched
The city of Santa Clarita has announced the release of the seventh episode of Santa Clarita Voices, the city’s official podcast, that highlights the stories, experiences and conversations from city leaders and unique members of the Santa Clarita community.
Santa Clarita Voices Episode Seven Podcast Available Now
1900 - Pacific Telephone & Telegraph establishes Newhall exchange; SCV gets first phone [story]
old telephone
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency will hold its next regular board meeting on Tuesday, July 15.
July 15: Regular Board Meeting of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency
For its innovative new website, California Institute of the Arts has earned a 2025 Circle of Excellence Gold Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
CalArts Website Wins 2025 Circle of Excellence Gold Award From CASE
The National League of Junior Cotillions has announced the appointment of Brooke Wanberg as the new NLJC Director for the Santa Clarita Chapter.
Junior Cotillion Santa Clarita Chapter Now Enrolling Students in SCV
The Rancho Camulos National Historic Landmark Museum will host a special history event on Saturday, July 26, featuring the story of Mrs. A.S.C. Forbes and the creation of the El Camino Real Bells.
July 26: Rancho Camulos Hosts History Event, ‘The El Camino Real Bells’
The city of Santa Clarita has announced that due to the construction of the new Rink Sports Pavilion, the outdoor basketball courts at the Santa Clarita Sports Complex will be closed effective Friday, July 11 and remain closed until Aug. 21.
Outdoor Basketball Courts at the Santa Clarita Sports Complex Closed Until Aug. 21
The city of Santa Clarita's Concerts in the Park series, presented by Logix Federal Credit Union, at Central Park every Saturday evening from July 12 through Aug. 30, is back for its 35th year.
Enjoy Transportation Options for Santa Clarita Concerts in the Parks
Leon Worden of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society sits down with Andre and Renaud Veluzat, owners of the historic Melody Ranch Studio. This interview was first broadcast on SCVTV in 2014.
Legacy | Andre and Renaud Veluzat: Rebuilding Historic Melody Ranch Studio
2007 - Moore's sub sandwich shop, abandoned 2 years earlier, demolished as derelict building; now partially Newhall roundabout [story]
Moores sub shop
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, in partnership with Harley-Davidson of Santa Clarita and LA Police Gear, will host a free ‘ETCH & CATCH' Catalytic Converter Etching Event 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday, July 19.
July 19: Free Catalytic Converter Etching Event
The California Department of Transportation has announced overnight closures along Interstate 405 through the Sepulveda Pass for k-rail installation.
Overnight Closures on I-405 for Pavement Rehabilitation Project
Do you know a child with special needs? The Santa Clarita Valley Special Education Local Plan Area and its member school districts actively seek out all individuals with exceptional needs, from birth to age 22, including infants and children attending private schools.
SCV School Districts Seek Children with Special Needs
The Old Town Newhall Public Library will host a Teen Game Day: Giant Games event, Wednesday, July 23, 3:30-4:30 p.m. at 24500 Main St., Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
July 23: Teen Game Day, Giant Games at Newhall Library
There are summer traditions and then there are Santa Clarita summer legends. For 35 years now, families, friends, neighbors and music lovers alike have gathered under the open skies of Central Park, 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91350 to experience something truly special: Concerts in the Park, presented by Logix Federal Credit Union.
Jason Gibbs | Celebrating 35 Years of Music Under the Stars with Concerts in the Park
Family Customs will host a Hot Wheels & Die Cast Swap Meet, 8 a.m.- noon, Saturday, July 19.
July 19: Hot Wheels, Die Cast Swap Meet
The Triumph Foundation 2025 Gala will be held 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7 at the iconic Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
Aug. 7: Triumph Foundation 2025 Gala at the Peterson Automotive Museum
The Santa Clarita Artists Association will be hosting a Plein Air Outdoor Artmaking and public meet up Friday, July 18, 9 a.m.-noon at Marina Park.
July 18: SCAA Plein Air Artmaking at Marina Park
Carousel Ranch will host "Cowgirls & Crystals," 6-11 p.m., Friday, Aug 15 at the Oaks Club at Valencia.
Aug. 15: Carousel Ranch ‘Cowgirl’s & Crystals’
SCVNews.com