‘Not Less Than 25%…’

Periodically, it’s necessary to look back at the original text of Measure B because, after more than seven years, there’s still no indication that Mendo will comply with it, much less even cares. And this, despite a perfect opportunity to do so while making a difference for the population Measure B was sold on:

“Section 5.180.040. Specific Purpose. … D. For a period of five (5) years a maximum of 75% of the revenue deposited into the Mental Health Treatment Fund may be used for facilities, with not less than 25% dedicated to services and treatment; thereafter 100% of all revenue deposited into the Mental Health Treatment Fund shall be used for ongoing operations, services and [substance abuse] treatment.”

As of November of 2024, Mendocino County calculates that about $51.2 million of sales tax revenue has been accumulated in the Measure B fund since it was passed on 2017.

Almost $10 million in expenses was reported, about 75% of which was spent on facilities. Of that $10 million spent on facilities, almost $5 million was spent for the $1 million four-bedroom house next door to the Schraeders’ admin offices on Orchard Avenue, their “Crisis Residential Center.” The bulk of the rest has been spent on top dollar architectural/planning work by former CEO Carmel Angelo’s favorite architects, the Sacramento-based Nacht & Lewis.

The first five years of revenue (from April of 2018 to June of 2023) came to about $48 million. After that the half-cent Measure B Sales Tax increment dropped to 1/8 of a cent. So, using the formula specified by the text of Measure B, that means that not more than 75% of the $48 million or $36 million could be spent on facilities and not less than $12 million on services. Then about $2.5 million a year additional thereafter also on services, not facilities. 


Mendo’s Measure B current budget claims that $1.8 million per year is to be spent on “operations.” Most of that appears to be budgeted for the “expanded outreach/mobile outreach teams” (aka the mental health “crisis van,” a useful if limited contribution to the mental health system). But, since that crisis van has been funded by non-Measure B grants so far, only $182k of actual expenses have come from the Measure B fund. This, by the way, is under a budget column entitled “Budgeted Service or program/operating costs (Min 25%).” (Even the budget chart says that a minimum of 25% is to be spent on services.)

Other minor “operating expenses” bring the non-facilities expenses so far in more than seven years to a total of about $1.5 million, about $800k of which is for “Crisis Assessment and Psychiatric Hospitalization Aftercare $260,000 over 4 years,” which goes to the Schraeders’ Redwood Quality Management Company. The rest has been spent on an ill-defined $130k contract with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), and $421k for Fort Bragg’s popular and effective CARE program.

This latest Measure B financial report is an improvement over previous reports, albeit heavily jargonized and acronymed. In broad terms it shows that only about 10% of the (minimum) 25% that’s required to be spent on the mandated services has been spent. And if their own budget is to be believed, only $1.8 million more is to be spent this year. Year after year, Mendo fails to spend anywhere near the required amount for treatment services. Why? It can NOT be because of worries about escalating construction costs because the text of the Measure requires that at least 25% be spent on services.

In addition, this latest report shows that even if Mendo never pays back the $7 million of Measure B money that was “loaned” to the jail expansion overrun, there will be millions of dollars left for mental health treatment facilities or services as well. If the Psychiatric Health Facility comes in under budget as is currently forecast, that means Mendo will have even more millions left over for Mental Health treatment facilities and services.

Which brings us to the point of this financial summary.

One of the main arguments that opponents of the recently passed (overwhelmingly) state Proposition 36 was that although the Proposition is expected to coerce some criminals with underlying drug addictions into treatment, there wasn’t enough funding for treatment facilities and services to handle them.

But, as is obvious by the Measure B financial summary, in Mendo at least, there’s plenty of money for whoever enters treatment via Proposition 36. Based on booking logs and the Marbut report we estimate that the number of people who might opt for treatment under Prop 36 in Mendocino County is probably in the low hundreds, certainly a manageable, affordable number.

What there’s NOT plenty of is leadership to take practical advantage of this glaring opportunity. The Supervisors, in particular, have never even mentioned Measure B’s requirement that at least 25% of the money be devoted to services, despite all the other millions they routinely hand over to the homeless and mental health bureaucracies and contractors every year.

Meanwhile the street people that Measure B proponents said would be addressed by these millions remain, mostly on the streets and creeks of Ukiah where they’re quite conspicuous. Despite the promises and requirements of Measure B, no percepitble dent has been made in the problem. In fact, if the County’s recently rejuvenated inland anti-homeless camp group, Mendo Matters, is to be believed, it’s worse.