Commission discusses civic failure on health care, proposes rapid response and letters to legislators

Commissioners used the unfinished-business portion of the meeting to spotlight gaps in the county's civic response to health-care and behavioral-health crises.

One commissioner described the situation as a "civic failure," saying the lack of coordinated institutional action disproportionately affects lower-income residents and leads to avoidable harm. The commission discussed drafting a rapid-response public letter for local media and exploring collaboration with other organizations to press legislators on federal funding and policy changes, including SNAP and Medi-Cal redeterminations and proposed work requirements.

Carol Larson said she sits on a health board and has been drafting letters to legislators about federal budget and eligibility changes; commissioners agreed to add a standing item on drafting generic letters to legislators for approval at a future meeting. The chair suggested that commissioners draft a letter for local press and return it for approval at the December meeting.

Ending: Commissioners committed to placing advocacy on the December agenda, developing draft language for letters to state and federal legislators about SNAP, Medi-Cal and related funding policy, and exploring partnerships with other local groups doing related work.