City Council Agenda
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Memo to: |
Manteca City Council |
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From: |
L. David Nefouse, City Attorney; Riana Daniel, Staff Counsel |
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Date: |
February 18, 2025 |
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Subject: |
Approve Letter to the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and the County Administrator in support of Assisted Outpatient Treatment/Laura’s Law |
Recommendation:
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Approve Letter to the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and the County Administrator in support of Assisted Outpatient Treatment/Laura’s Law.
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Background:
At the February 4, 2025, City Council meeting, the City Council (per a 5-0 Council consensus) directed the City Attorney’s Office to prepare a letter to the County Board of Supervisors in support of Laura’s Law (Assisted Outpatient Treatment (“AOT”)).
For some additional background: AOT was initiated in California following the 2001 killing of Laura Wilcox in Nevada County by an individual suffering from severe mental illness. This individual was engaged in treatment services and regularly visited a mental health clinic; the individual was not, however, engaged to the degree necessary to prevent decompensation or the stabilization of symptoms. As it now stands, AOT is a system of laws found in California’s Welfare and Institutions Code to provide compelled mental health treatment without having to place individuals in conservatorship. In practice, AOT is a collaboration between several county agencies, the courts, members of the public, and/or non-profits who take an interest in the assistance of individuals most at risk for the negative consequences of not receiving treatment.
In California, only counties - not cities - may opt-in to Laura’s Law. As such, even if an individual city (or all cities in a county) wish to participate in AOT, only the Board of Supervisors may permit a county and all the cities to do so.
Included with the proposed 2025 letter are the prior letters provided to the County.
To date, thirty-one (31) of fifty-eight (58) counties have opted-in to the Laura’s Law (AOT) program.
Fiscal Impact:
There will be no fiscal impact to the City vis-à-vis the proposed letter.
Documents Attached:
1. Attachment 1 - Proposed February 2025 Letter to the County Board of Supervisors and County Administrator
2. Attachment 2 - October 2021 Letter Sent to the County Board of Supervisors and County Administrator
3. Attachment 3 - April 2021 Letter to the County Board of Supervisors and County Administrator