www.montereycountynow.com OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 5, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 Sometimes, the best intentions of government collide with the very real day-to-day fiscal obligations of government. In the case of one noble idea—to build a 96-bed mental health rehabilitation center—the collision came on Tuesday, Oct. 28, when members of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors had a series of pointed questions. In the broadest terms, the project is sorely needed. About 100 Monterey County residents at any given time are in a mental health rehabilitation center—a locked facility for patients suffering from a serious mental health crisis—but they are all out of county. That’s because our county currently has zero beds, so patients instead are placed elsewhere for care. Due to the non-existence of beds in Monterey County, and a shortage statewide, many end up staying in hospital settings for longer—not ideal for a variety of reasons, straining hospital staffs, and a decidedly non-therapeutic place for a person in crisis. For patients placed outside of the county, Behavioral Health Services Bureau Chief Melanie Rhodes told the supervisors, it can be prohibitive for family members to visit. That’s the problem. The solution, as pitched by Rhodes and Health Department Director Elsa Jimenez, is to construct a psychiatric care center locally. They envision a 96-bed campus with six 16-bed buildings (that sizing is driven by state requirements) and an admin building. The hope is that patients are treated and someday become independent, with family and friends as a support system. But that solution introduces a whole new series of challenges. The Health Department started with plans to use part of the old jail—not as counterintuitive as it may sound, because these are secure, locked facilities. When they learned the Sheriff’s Office still needed that space, they shifted gears from renovating an existing building to new construction on a parcel in Salinas just north of the Natividad campus on Constitution Boulevard, across from the soccer complex. The projected cost grew from $46 million to $75 million. Then came serious sticker shock amid rising construction costs: a new budget of $172 million. “I appreciate the ambitious proposal,” Supervisor Glenn Church said. “I’m not completely comfortable with these moving numbers…I have real concerns on the financial viability.” All of the supervisors cited the global uncertainty right now emanating from Washington. Medi-Cal coverage for physical health care is already set to shrink significantly; what’s to say a federal policy slashing mental health coverage isn’t coming down the road? Tariffs and interest rates and construction costs remain unpredictable. Jimenez and Finance Manager Nick Cronkhite emphasized that the facility would be self-sustaining. They’ve already secured $50 million in state grants. The health department would pay down the remaining debt, not tapping the County’s general fund. That would happen partly by fundraising, “really leaning in on philanthropy and private donors who may be interested in making sure our residents have the services they need,” Jimenez said. It would also happen by service providers increasing their billable hours by 10.5 percent— for a staff member who spends four hours per day directly delivering client services, they would go up to spending four hours and 25 minutes of their day doing direct patient services, increasing hours billable to insurance. This is where the supervisors had the most questions: How do you simply find more minutes in the day for each staff member? There are also neighbor concerns. “I would move, immediately, the day that you broke ground,” one Creekbridge woman, who shares a backyard fenceline with the site, told the board. “I would put my house up for sale.” Supervisor Luis Alejo demanded more serious engagement with residents. “Neighbors are taken aback when a project is so far along,” he said. “[This timing] is saying, the community is an afterthought.” So far, $2.7 million has been spent on the project. With another $3 million expected to be spent by year end, the supervisors decided to hit pause. My hope is that they get the answers to questions they rightly asked, and that the project can get back on track. If not, it could be shelved indefinitely. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. Crazy Talk Citing rising costs, County Supes put a mental health care facility on pause. By Sara Rubin DRESS DOWN…Squid knows that the sea is a dogeat-dog world, or rather, a shark-eat-fish-eat-chum world. Squid is somewhat of an anomaly among sea creatures, having learned early on not to punch something that can’t fight back. Not everyone on land thinks the same, though. In Salinas, home security footage that went viral shows a woman jogging by a display of Halloween decorations, only to jog back and punch an innocent witch figure to the ground. The woman goes on her way, only to come back seconds later and punch two other witches to the ground. She returns later to do the same thing. Squid’s colleague reached out to Salinas Police to see if officers know what beef this woman has with witchy decorations. No idea, but Sgt. Zachary Dunagan adds that police haven’t received any similar reports this Halloween season. “We get decoration thefts all the time, but not decoration boxing matches,” he says. Police found the woman and warned her to stay off the property, Dunagan says, with the homeowner declining to press charges. Squid will put on Squid’s best costume as a sea monster to go out trick-or-treating for shrimp-flavored treats this Halloween, and hopes there are no fists raised along the way. SHUT OUT…Speaking of Halloween candy, Squid’s least favorite is Airheads White Taffy Mystery. Squid demands full disclosure on the package to know what Squid is getting into. In Pacific Grove, the City Council is being as mysterious as that white taffy when it comes to appointing a new city attorney to replace Brian Pierik, who announced in August that he was stepping down. (Pierik, of Camarillobased Burke, Williams & Sorenson LLP, remains the attorney for neighboring Carmel.) There was no mention of a replacement on council agendas until Oct. 15, when that agenda included a closed session item regarding the “discussion of appointment process.” Squid found that problematic, since the state code referenced protects discussions of actual appointments, not discussions how the process will work. Next a “special meeting” was announced for noon on Tuesday, Oct. 28 with a single agenda item: “Public Employee Appointment” regarding a city attorney. Squid attempted to dial into the Zoom meeting, only to find out the meeting was a closed session. Squid’s colleague reached out to City Clerk Sandra Kandell, who said city code only requires noting if a meeting is “special,” not “closed.” As of Squid’s deadline there was no word if the council selected an attorney yet and if so, what process was used. Just like those mystery Airheads, Squid believes the wrapper on government workings should be clear about what’s going on inside. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. Our county currently has zero beds. SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
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