MODESTO — City and county officials engaged in a tense exchange Tuesday morning over who is responsible for allowing a behavioral health facility to operate in Turlock.
At a Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meeting, Turlock Mayor Amy Babrak and Mayor Reagan Wilson reiterated their opposition to the county contracting with A&A Health for a mental health/residential care facility planned for near Dutcher Middle School.
The county argues that Turlock had the authority all along to block the project from moving forward by denying various building permits.
Bublak and Wilson’s appearance before the commission came less than a week after Wilson sent a letter to the county outlining similar concerns.
In the end, the board voted 5-0 to renew the contract.
“I think there will be litigation, but ultimately it’s down to the Alamo,” Wilson said. “I think they changed the use of the land.”
“There was no communication. None of you guys had spoken to us until A&A spoke to me at the end of January (2024),” Bublac said. “I heard the Board of Supervisors talk about how important communication is and how important community safety is. We’re talking here about specific areas where kids are within 500 feet, whether it’s schools or underprivileged kids. And our community has told us that the location is not appropriate. I understand we need the facility. It’s just not there.”
Bublak then invited the supervisors to Turlock to hear from their constituents directly.
On Feb. 13, all five supervisors and County Counsel Thomas Boase were in Turlock when a crowd of about 200 people gathered in the city council chambers and two overflow areas to debate the issue for nearly three hours.
Wilson took the podium after Bublak on Tuesday and after speaking, he engaged in a nearly 10-minute debate with 3rd District Supervisor Terry Withrow.
“Begging us today not to approve this contract is not going to solve your problem. The problem is solved by the Turlock City Council not allowing this project,” Withrow said. “I don’t understand why you’re here today. You’re trying to stop the facility because you feel it’s a re-use, not to stop us from signing on. That doesn’t solve any of your problems. … 57 counties are going to come to other counties and want beds. Are you going to go before the other 57 county boards of supervisors and ask them not to sign on?”
“Probably not,” Wilson acknowledged.
The new facility plans to serve more patients between the ages of 18 and 59. At the previous facility, the majority of patients were 60 and older.
The plan was spoken against by Turlock resident Shelley Koch, who disagreed with Withrow’s arguments and said the city has a smaller role than the county and state.
“It starts at the state government level, goes down to the county level and then all the way to the city level. We’re at the very bottom of the decision making,” Koch believes. “The permitting process is very detailed. In fact, we’ve been told through the state and county levels that this facility will not be built under uncertainty. So to say the City Council has the final say is not really accurate.”
Representatives from Genesis Behavioral Center, which provides services to children with autism and is located across the street from the proposed facility, also voiced their opposition.
Tony Bertin, the county’s director of behavioral health and recovery services and a Turlock resident, recommended renewing the contract with A&A. He also placed on record a letter dated July 24, 2023, in which A&A informed the city of Turlock that it was considering purchasing the former Las Palmas Estates nursing home at 1617 Colorado Ave.
Finally, Vartan called for compassionate treatment of people suffering from mental health issues.
“One in five people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime,” Vartan said, “and it is essential that we encourage communities to treat mental illness with the same consideration and support as any other medical condition.”
As the board was about to vote on the matter, they were interrupted by District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa, who represents the entire Turlock area. He spoke for nearly 15 minutes.
“Sorry,” Chiesa said, “I was just sitting here collecting my thoughts.”
Chiesa noted that counties are required to provide behavioral health and recovery services.
“That’s why in county government we’re called the ‘payers of last resort,’ because the burden falls on us,” Chiesa said. “The state mandates the program. Behavioral health and recovery is a mandated program. … Our consumer burden is not decreasing, it’s increasing. It’s just a fact that we’re dealing with.”
Chiesa acknowledged that A&A is shifting its customer base, but said he agrees with Withrow that this is a licensing issue between A&A and the state.
“Previously, 75 percent of residents were over 60 and 25 percent were between 18 and 59 years old,” Chiesa said. “Now, they’re trying to reverse that … and it’s more reflective of our community and the demographics of our customers.”
Chiesa said he would like to continue treating Stanislaus County patients in the county rather than transporting them to facilities in more remote parts of the state.
“I hate to be put in this position and I’m sorry it’s a complicated situation,” Chiesa said. “Reagan stood there, but he was the chief executive of the county at the time we had people in that facility. … It’s a complicated situation, but everybody is doing what they can.”
