Moms speak out against LA, Orange county delaying start of major mental health law

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - For Helen Cortez, the memory of her son's suffering is seared into her mind.

"You could just see the deterioration in his eyes," Helen recalled. "He would sit for days in the same spot, in his own waste, because he was in too much pain to move."

For years, Helen desperately sought help for her son, whose severe mental illness left him homeless and unable to care for himself. But each time she pleaded for intervention, she hit the same roadblock.

"They'd tell me, 'There's nothing we can do. He doesn't want to go; he doesn't want help.' And then they'd just leave," she said.

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Left: Tyler Cortez before conservatorship. Right: Tyler Cortez after conservatorship.

Helen's fight mirrors that of Deborah Smith, another mother who spent more than a decade advocating for her son, Nicholas, who battles schizophrenia. Deborah recounted how a psychotic episode led to his arrest after he donned a mask and wielded a butcher knife outside a Nordstrom in Santa Monica.

"I'm sure he scared the, you know what, out of everybody," Deborah said.

After years of relentless advocacy, the two mothers finally secured conservatorships over their sons, who are now thriving. Now, these two women are on the front lines fighting for other families trapped in similar struggles.

Nicholas Smith after conservatorship.

"If we can't get them conserved, there's a trail of dead bodies in the wait," Deborah warned.

California's SB 43 is designed to expand conservatorship criteria for individuals with severe mental illnesses, making it easier to place them in care. But despite its promise, Los Angeles and Orange counties have delayed implementation until 2026, citing resource constraints.

Helen and Deborah say the delay is a tragic mistake.

"It doesn't have to be this difficult," Helen said. "It's politics at its worst. We vote these people in based on their promises, and then nothing happens."

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

"We don't have enough beds. That's a problem," Foley admitted. "We're waiting for the state to give us the licensing to begin implementation."

Still, Foley said she understands the frustration of families like Helen's and Deborah's.

"I would love to move it faster," she said.

For Deborah, the delays are intolerable.

"How many more have to die on the street before you get your resources together?" she demanded. "We are tired of waiting."

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

"Like 56 of California's 58 counties, LA County decided to delay implementation of SB43 to ensure the long-term success of this game-changing reform. The new law was rolled out without consideration for the infrastructure, resources orsupports, financial and otherwise, needed for this massive and complex undertaking. LA County has more than 4,200 individuals at 40 hospitals who need to be trained on the changes to the law, so that they can make clinically consistent decisions about what constitutes "grave disability" while protecting individual civil rights. New bed capacity needs to be built to accommodate a population of patients who will require locked facilities when held for treatment involuntarily. Without first taking those steps, the work of moving people off the streets for their own health and safety would fail. Thisdoes not mean LA County is standing still. Our Pathway Home encampment resolution program already has moved hundreds of people inside as we have also extensively supported the City of LA's Inside Safe program that has sheltered thousands of others."