Mental health: involuntary commitment.

Existing law, the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, provides for the involuntary commitment and treatment of persons with specified mental disorders and for the protection of the persons so committed. Under existing law, when a person, as a result of mental disorder, is a danger to self or others, or gravely disabled, the person may, upon probable cause, be taken into custody by a peace officer, member of the attending staff of an evaluation facility, designated members of a mobile crisis team, or other designated professional person, and placed in a facility designated by the county and approved by the State Department of Social Services. Existing law authorizes, if a designated facility assesses and admits the person, the facility to detain the person for evaluation and treatment for a period not to exceed 72 hours. This bill would require each county to establish a countywide hotline to respond to calls relating to individuals with mental health issues, including calls relating to taking a person into custody pursuant to the above-described provisions. The bill would require a county to take certain actions in establishing the hotline, including developing procedures to train and educate the mental health professionals who will be responding to calls received on the hotline, and would require a county to publicly report certain information relating to the hotline annually. By imposing new duties on counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.