Moms speak out against Los Angeles and Orange County delaying major mental health legislation

ORANGE COUNTY, CA. – For Helen Cortez, the memories of her son’s suffering are etched in her mind.

“You could just see the deterioration in his eyes,” Helen recalled. “He would sit in the same place all day long, surrounded by his waste, because he was in too much pain to move.”

For years, Helen desperately sought help for her son, whose severe illness mental illness left him homeless and unable to care for himself. But every time she asked for intervention, she ran into the same obstacle.

“They told me: ‘We can’t do anything. He doesn’t want to go, he doesn’t want help.” And then they just left,” she said.

PROPOSED: A new California law aims to get people with mental illness or addiction to seek help.

Helen’s struggle mirrors that of Deborah Smith, another mother who spent more than a decade advocating for her son Nicholas, who was battling schizophrenia. Deborah told how a psychotic episode led to his arrest after he put on a mask and held a butcher knife near Nordstrom in Santa Monica.

“I’m sure he scared, you know, whoever,” Deborah said.

After years of tireless advocacy, both mothers finally won custody of their sons, who are now thriving. Now these two women are on the front lines, fighting for other families caught in the same struggle.

“If we can’t save them, there will be a trail of corpses waiting for us,” Deborah warned.

California SB 43 is intended to expand guardianship criteria for persons with severe mental illness, making it easier to place them in guardianship. But despite my promise, Los Angeles And Orange counties delayed implementation until 2026, citing resource constraints.

Helen and Deborah say the delay is a tragic mistake.

“It shouldn’t be that hard,” Helen said. “This is politics at its worst. We vote for these people based on their promises, and then nothing happens.”

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, who opposed the delay, acknowledges the problems.

“We don’t have enough beds. That’s a problem,” Foley admitted. “We are waiting for the state to issue us a license so we can start implementing.”

However, Foley said she understands the frustration of families like Helen and Deborah’s.

“I wish it would happen faster,” she said.

For Deborah, the delays are intolerable.

“How many more people will have to die on the street before you gather your resources?” she demanded. “We’re tired of waiting.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health released the following statement:

“Like 56 of California’s 58 counties, Los Angeles County has decided to delay implementation of SB43 to ensure the long-term success of this groundbreaking reform. The new law was passed without taking into account the necessary infrastructure, resources or support, financial or otherwise. This large and complex undertaking employs more than 4,200 people in Los Angeles County in 40 hospitals who must be trained on changes in the law so they can make clinically consistent decisions about what constitutes a “serious disability” while protecting individual civil rights. New beds need to be created to accommodate patients who will require closed spaces while being involuntarily detained for treatment. This doesn’t mean Los Angeles County is standing still. Our Pathway Home encampment resolution program has already moved hundreds of people inside, as we have also extensively supported the City of Los Angeles’ Inside Safe program, which has sheltered thousands more.”