County To Hire Additional Mental Health Workers
The Riverside County mental health department plans to hire more than 200 new employees countywide to expand mental health services using funds from a tax on millionaires, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Voters approved Proposition 63 in 2004 to fund mental health care by increasing the state income tax by 1% on incomes exceeding $1 million. This fiscal year, Riverside County received $16.6 million from Proposition 63 -- about 15% of its mental health program spending for the year.
The expansion includes hiring about 58 employees to launch mental health programs for the Coachella Valley's homeless population. Under Proposition 63, counties must create programs that do not duplicate services currently offered (Trone, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 5/20).