Last Friday, Feb 6th, I spent 30 minutes with Jan Cobaleda-Kegler, Sonoma County Behavioral Health Director, at her invitation. I had emailed both her boss (Nolan Sullivan, Director of the Health Services Department), and Christina Rivera (County Executive Officer), advising them that I had plans to utilize a new permanent authority of the Updated Brown Act which allowed members of legislative bodies to communicate with the public (wsee an earlier post on this website). Christina asked Nolan to ask Jan to get together with me, after consulting the Sonoma County Counsel. All were interested in convincing me to let the County facilitate public input on the Draft FY26-29 Proposition One Integrated Plan only on the County website.
Dr. Cobaleda-Kegler was well aware of my frustration over receiving the Draft Plan so late in this fiscal year, and finding ourselves with four months left before its required approval by the Board of Supervisors. Though frequently used by cities, I told her that the kind of direct document public comment needed in such a detailed plan has never been attempted by the County. She countered that she thought the Department’s website capabilities were improving, and that she wanted me to let the County try before implementing my solution. I agreed, and she said she would be meeting with the Department and County IT staff soon.
Homeless Emergency Assistance Program Association 