§ 5121. — 5121. (Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 691, Sec. 2.)

California § 5121.

• Jurisdiction: California
• Code WIC: Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC
• Div. 5.: DIVISION 5. COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
• Part 1.: PART 1. THE LANTERMAN-PETRIS-SHORT ACT
• Ch. 1.: CHAPTER 1. General Provisions

Text

(a)
The county behavioral health director may develop procedures for the county’s designation and training of professionals who will be designated to perform functions under Section 5150. These procedures may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1)
The license types, practice disciplines, and clinical experience of professionals eligible to be designated by the county.
(2)
The initial and ongoing training and testing requirements for professionals eligible to be designated by the county.
(3)
The application and approval processes for professionals seeking
to be designated by the county, including the timeframe for initial designation and procedures for renewal of the designation.
(4)
The county’s process for monitoring and reviewing professionals designated by the county to ensure appropriate compliance with state law, regulations, and county procedures.
(b)
A county behavioral health director may develop a training for the procedures for designation developed pursuant to subdivision (a).
(c)
If a county behavioral health director denies or revokes an individual’s designation, the county behavioral health director shall, in writing, notify the person who made the request for designation of the individual and the individual who is the subject of the request for
designation describing the reasons for denial or revocation.
(d)
Designated members of a mobile crisis team and designated professional persons shall not be prohibited from transporting a person taken into custody pursuant to Section 5150.
(e)
If the county behavioral health director of the County of Sacramento develops procedures pursuant to subdivision (a), the county behavioral health director of the County of Sacramento shall, by April 1, 2022, issue a written policy regarding the procedures developed pursuant to subdivision (a). The policy shall address, at a minimum, the topics identified in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (a). The policy shall require the county behavioral health director of the County of Sacramento to designate individuals employed by
the City of Sacramento who are also members of a mobile crisis team or who are also professional persons if all of the following are true:
(1)
The City of Sacramento submits a written request to the county behavioral health director.
(2)
The individuals meet the requirements for designation included in the policy.
(3)
If the county behavioral health director of the County of Sacramento has developed a training pursuant to subdivision (b), the individuals have completed that training.
(f)
(1)
A county behavioral health director shall include an emergency physician as
one of the practice disciplines eligible to be designated by the county when developing and implementing procedures pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).
(2)
This subdivision does not affect the training, application, approval, and revocation process that applies to all professionals who are eligible to be designated by the county, including an emergency physician, in order to be designated by the county to perform functions under Section 5150.
(3)
For purposes of this section, “emergency physician” means a physician and surgeon who provides medical
screening and treatment of patients in the emergency department of a general acute care hospital licensed under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1250) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code.

Legislative History

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 691, Sec. 2. (AB 416) Effective January 1, 2026.