Sacramento County approves BHSA integrated plan amid concerns over prevention cuts and program sunsetting

Sacramento County supervisors on June 9 adopted the countyehavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) integrated plan, a new budgeting and reporting framework required by Proposition 1 that takes effect July 1, 2026. The plan reallocates existing behavioral health dollars into three buckets: 35% for full-service partnerships, 35% for behavioral health services and supports, and 30% for housing interventions.

Ryan Quist, the countyehavioral Health director, told the board the plan expands reporting to include all funding streams rather than only the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), adds housing as an explicit funding bucket and requires new outcome accountability and annual reporting to the state. "Wehave to show how we spent the funds across sources and what outcomes resulted," Quist said, describing new transparency and the first Behavioral Health Outcomes Accountability and Transparency Report due Jan. 30, 2028.

The presentation said the county must shift about $16.5 million of previously county-funded prevention programs into other buckets to meet BHSA percentages. Quist said the change was difficult: "These are programs we were proud of. We had to identify investments to sunset to move funding into housing interventions," he said, noting the state took over prevention funding and that counties were required to reallocate. He also said staff plan a short contract with WellSpace to maintain 988 and phone-line interoperability while the state finalizes prevention funding.

Supervisors and public speakers pressed staff over the size and effect of cuts and on whether the state would align its prevention plan with local needs. Supervisor Kennedy asked how the state will align population-level prevention administered by the California Department of Public Health with local services; Quist said counties continue advocacy and the state plan was not yet finalized. Supervisor Hume urged the county to preserve crisis-line continuity and thanked staff for a contingency contract to maintain 988 until the state funding picture clears.

Public commenters and providers warned that cuts to prevention and crisis infrastructure could destabilize vulnerable residents, urging restoration of contracts that preserve interoperability between 988 and local emergency services. Director Emily (Homeless Services and Housing) and other staff said they would return with more granular outcome data on outreach exits and housing linkages.

The board voted 5-0 to approve the integrated plan and associated front-end budget reallocations, while supervisors asked for additional quarterly reporting on outcomes and clearer KPIs for large contractors. The county will submit the integrated plan to the state as required and prepare the first outcomes accountability report by the 2028 deadline.

What happens next: the plan goes into effect July 1, 2026; staff will execute temporary measures to preserve 988 interoperability and prepare an annual outcomes report to the state covering budgets and population-level measures.