San Joaquin County Cuts Behavioral Health Funding by $4.2M in FY2026-27 Budget While Jails Absorb Overflow

<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong><br>June 3, 2026<br>Contact: newsroom@dismalfreedompress.org</p><p>The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved its FY2026-27 budget on June 3, eliminating two of the county's eight mobile behavioral health crisis teams and reducing outpatient mental health treatment slots by approximately 340 — citing a $67 million structural deficit driven by rising pension costs and flat state realignment revenue.</p><p>The cuts come as San Joaquin County Jail reported a 22% increase in bookings flagged for mental health evaluation in calendar year 2025. County Behavioral Health Services director Sandra Mares told the board the department absorbed $12 million in state MHSA cuts in 2025 before the county's own reduction; the combined impact represents the largest single-year decrease in the department's capacity since 2008.</p><p>Supervisor Tom Patti (District 1) cast the lone dissenting vote, calling the behavioral health reductions "a false economy" that would shift costs to law enforcement, emergency departments, and the jail within 18 months.</p><p>DFP has submitted CPRA requests for the county's full cost-modeling analysis and the actuarial assumptions underlying the pension deficit calculation.</p><p>###</p>