Mayra E Alvarez and Al Rowlett were elected Chair and Vice Chair respectively as the Commission plans to implement Proposition 1 – Behavioral Health Transformation
SACRAMENTO – With just over a month before the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) – Governor Newsom’s mental health modernization legislation known to voters as Proposition 1 – goes into effect, Commissioners unanimously voted to elect current Vice Chair Mayra E Alvarez to the office of Chair of the Commission, and Commissioner Al Rowlett to serve as Vice Chair for the new term beginning January 2025.
Both Commissioners were elected to their respective offices during a regularly scheduled hybrid teleconference meeting in Sacramento on November 21. Their new terms will be in effect for one year, beginning January 1, 2025, the same date by which several elements of the BHSA, the landmark reform legislation passed by voters early this year, will begin implementation.
“I am deeply honored to accept this nomination during this pivotal moment in California’s journey toward behavioral health transformation. I’ve been part of this Commission for seven years, and I have learned so much from my fellow Commissioners and from members of the public,” said Alvarez. “I have also felt this deep urgency – and frustration – with the continued challenges that we know so many in our communities are facing. Together, we will heed the call to action, seize the opportunity we have with Proposition 1, and pave the way for a new era of openness, for us to listen to our communities, and to usher in that transparency that needs to be the cornerstone of our work.”
Alvarez, who is currently serving her third consecutive term as Vice Chair, is the longest serving Latina Vice Chair in the 20-year history of the Commission. From San Diego, Alvarez has served as the designee of the Attorney General on the Commission since 2017. Her first term as Vice Chair began in 2021. She was reelected to the position in November 2022, and again in November 2023, where she has served for the last year.
Alvarez also serves as Chair of the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Committee and Vice Chair of the Prevention and Early Intervention Subcommittee of the Commission. She is president of The Children’s Partnership, a nonprofit children’s advocacy organization working to advance child health equity in California. Alvarez also serves on the Board of Directors for Covered California, appointed by Governor Newsom.
Al Rowlett was appointed to the Commission by Governor Newsom in 2021 to fill the mental health professional position. From Sacramento, Rowlett has been with Turning Point Community of Programs since 1981, was named chief executive officer in 2014, and today provides leadership and guidance over 50 programs in several Northern and Central California counties.
Rowlett also served as an elected trustee to the Elk Grove Unified School District from 2009 to 2012. He currently co-directs a Community Psychiatry seminar for residents, and formerly served as an adjunct professor for the California State University, Sacramento, Mental Health Services Act cohort. In 2014, Assembly Speaker Tony Perez appointed Rowlett to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Board.
Upon accepting the nomination, Rowlett said, “I understand the unique responsibility the Commission has to the people of California, and as we look toward implementing Prop 1, I am committed to leading with integrity and transparency. The people who receive behavioral services – the family members, the peers, the organizations that provide the service – I want to ensure that there are opportunities for them to engage us as a Commission and come back and talk to us and tell us what’s working and what’s not. There’s nothing more important than hearing the voice of the community.”
Proposition 1 passed in March of 2024 as part of Governor Newsom’s larger effort to address homelessness, mental health challenges, and substance use disorder problems facing Californians across the state. The new law reforms the Commission’s originating legislation, the now 20-year old Mental Health Services Act of 2004.
The BHSA includes bonds for infrastructure implemented by the Department of Health Care Services and Housing and Community Development, adjustments in county funding allocations, and an Innovation Partnership Fund to be implemented by the Commission.
About the Commission
In enacting Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, California voters in 2004 created and charged the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission with the responsibility of driving transformational change in public and private mental health systems to achieve the vision that everyone who needs mental health care has access to and receives effective and culturally competent care. The Commission was designed to empower community partners, with members representing consumers and their families, service providers, law enforcement, educators, and employers. The Commission puts consumers and families at the center of decision-making. The Commission promotes community collaboration, cultural competency, and integrated service delivery. The Commission is committed to wellness and recovery, using its authorities, resources, and passion to reduce the negative outcomes of mental illness and promote the mental health and wellbeing of all Californians.