Should California expand what it means to be 'gravely disabled'?
LOS ANGELES - When Gov. Ronald Reagan signed the Mental Health Act of 1967, the legislation signaled a new era in the treatment of mentally ill Californians.
Also known as the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, the law recognized that not everyone with a mental illness needed to be confined to a state-run psychiatric hospital. Section 5150 established guidelines for the detention of "mentally disordered persons" up to 72 hours for assessment and treatment.
The 1967 law has become a valuable tool for law enforcement agencies and mental health professionals dealing with people living on the street.
But with homelessness surging throughout California, some argue that the 5150 provision needs to expanded, giving authorities wider latitude in deciding when someone should be removed from the streets.
Legislators in Sacramento will consider this question in the coming months as they debate Assembly Bill 1971. The measure, introduced by Assembly members Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, and Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, would include those who are unable to
