Hahn, Horvath push to let ER doctors handle psychiatric holds
Los Angeles County Supervisors Janice Hahn (D-Long Beach, San Pedro, Diamond Bar, Whittier, Cerritos, Downey, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hacienda Heights) and Lindsey P. Horvath (D-Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Calabasas, Malibu, Pacoima, Panorama City) today will put forth a motion for a pilot program training emergency room physicians at non-county hospitals to conduct psychiatric holds.
The hold would come under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, a.k.a 5150 hold, legislation passed in 1967, which allows a qualified person (traditionally law enforcement or a designated mental health clinician) to involuntarily detain someone for up to 72 hours if they’re found to be a danger to themselves, a danger to others, or “gravely disabled” (unable to provide for their own food, clothing, or shelter) due to a mental disorder.
The pilot targets a bottleneck in the county’s crisis response system. LA County’s Psychiatric Mobile Response Teams have long struggled to keep pace with demand. LAist reported that roughly a quarter of PMRT calls with tracked response times took longer than an hour just to dispatch, with waits sometimes stretching to two hours or more.
Hahn has pushed to expand the teams before, co-authoring a 2021 motion with Supervisor Kathryn Barger to move PMRT toward round-the-clock coverage, aimed at easing the county’s reliance on Psychiatric Mobile Response Teams for mental health crisis evaluations.
The motion directs the Director of Mental Health to report back in 120 days, with quarterly updates to the Health and Mental Health cluster thereafter, on training and authorizing ER physicians to conduct 5150 evaluations at a minimum of five non-DHS, non-LPS-designated hospitals by the end of 2026 — prioritizing hospitals in communities most reliant on Psychiatric Mobile Response Teams for crisis support.
The motion also calls for protocols ensuring proper training, certification and Department of Mental Health oversight as physician authorization expands, along with a plan for phased expansion to all non-DHS, non-LPS hospitals countywide by the end of 2027, prioritizing the facilities with the heaviest reliance on mobile crisis teams.
Caloza, Fong mark Filipino American history at the state Capitol
Assemblymember Jessica Caloza (D-Eagle Rock, East Los Angeles, Echo Park, Highland Park, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Glassell Park, Cypress Park, South Glendale), the first Filipina elected to the California State Legislature, joined Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, South Pasadena, Temple City), chair of the Asian American Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, and Filipino American community leaders at the State Capitol last week to mark the formation of the Legislature’s first-ever Filipino American Caucus and the adoption of a resolution recognizing October 2026 as Filipino American History Month.
Caloza was joined in leading Monday’s ceremony by state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, the first Filipino American elected to the California State Senate, as both chambers formally adopted House Resolution 102 and the Capitol Rotunda hosted a tribute honoring the first Filipino American elected and appointed officials in California history.
“Filipino American History Month honors the generations of Filipino Americans whose hard work, sacrifice, and leadership helped build California into the great state it is today. I’m so proud to be the first Filipina elected to the California State Legislature, but being the first only matters if it paves the way for those to come after,” said Caloza. “My parents immigrated to this country believing in the promise of opportunity, and without their sacrifices, I would not be where I am today. I carry that responsibility with me — to open doors, lift others up, and ensure Filipino Americans are represented in government.”
Caloza also credited Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas for helping establish the new caucus, calling it a historic step forward, giving the Filipino American community a stronger voice, a seat at the table, and a greater role in shaping California’s future.
“Tonight is a reminder of the incredible impact Filipino Americans have made through generations of resilience, service, leadership, and advocacy. Their contributions have helped shape our state and continue to strengthen our communities,” said Fong.
Horvath pushes county to study a dedicated gender equity office
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath (D-Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Calabasas, Malibu, Pacoima, Panorama City) today will put forth a motion for Board of Supervisors approval directing the county to study the feasibility of establishing a County Office of Gender Equity.
The motion instructs the County’s Chief Executive Officer and the Director of Public Health to report back within 60 days on where the office should sit within the county’s existing structure, what current resources and programs could be leveraged to support it, whether the county’s existing CEDAW ordinance would need to be amended or a new ordinance created, and a phased timeline for standing up the office, along with a plan to gather community input.
If it moves forward, Los Angeles County would join a small number of U.S. jurisdictions with a dedicated gender equity office built around international human rights standards rather than a domestic program model.
The county’s existing CEDAW ordinance — the one Horvath’s motion asks staff to evaluate amending — reflects a movement San Francisco pioneered in 1998, when it became the first city in the world to adopt a local ordinance based on the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
San Diego County adopted its own CEDAW-based ordinance in 2022, while the City of Los Angeles has run a separate, older Commission on the Status of Women since 1975.
Hahn crowns her longtime deputy king of Downey Pride
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn (D-Long Beach, San Pedro, Diamond Bar, Whittier, Cerritos, Downey, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hacienda Heights) crowned her longtime senior deputy Ivan Sulic “King of Downey Pride” on Saturday at the sixth annual Downey Pride celebration in Downtown Downey, an LGBTQ+ celebration Hahn’s office has sponsored since its inception.
Sulic has served on Hahn’s staff since 2011, when she was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and today serves as her senior deputy for Downey and surrounding communities as well as her Homeless and Housing Deputy.
Sulic was instrumental in creating the Whittier LGBTQ+ Community Center, which provides medical care, mental health services and workforce development, and chairs the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority, which oversees more than 4,000 acres of protected open space and trails throughout the Whittier Hills.
“I can’t think of anyone more deserving of a recognition as special as this one,” said Hahn. “Ivan represents the very best of public service. He brings heart and compassion to every role he serves, lifting up others and making people feel like they belong. Those are the values Pride celebrates, and those are the values that make us stronger.”
Sulic was also honored during the ceremony by other officials representing Downey, including U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Whittier) and Assemblywoman Blanca Pacheco (D-Downey), and State Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera, Norwalk, Whittier, Cerritos, Downey, La Mirada).
