CITY OF SAN MATEO
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 7 Section Name: CONSENT CALENDAR Account Number: 10-5141 File ID: 25-10285 TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Police Department
MEETING DATE: September 02, 2025
SUBJECT:
Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team Mental Health Partnership — Agreement RECOMMENDATION:
Approve an agreement with the County of San Mateo for reimbursement of costs related to the Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team mental health services program in an estimated amount of $55,000 and authorize the Chief of Police to execute the agreement in substantially the form presented.
BACKGROUND:
The City of San Mateo has partnered with San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services on the Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team (CWCRT) Mental Health Clinician Cost-Sharing Program since 2021. The program embedded clinicians, employed by local non-profit Star Vista, with participating police departments to optimally respond to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Since implementation, the clinicians and overall program have been a resounding success and a valuable addition to public safety in the City of San Mateo.
Under the current agreement, the County has contracted with Star Vista for provision of a clinician who is shared between the Cities of San Mateo and Foster City. The County pays for 50 percent of the cost of the clinician, and San Mateo and Foster City each pay 25 percent. Unfortunately, Star Vista ceased operations on August 1, 2025, due to ongoing financial challenges. As a result, the clinician’s employment through Star Vista ended. To ensure continuity of services, the Police Department hired the clinician as a per-diem (part time) City employee.
The County is committed to continuing to support the program and has identified available grant funds for this purpose.
The City of Foster City has indicated they do not wish to continue participating. To this end, the County has proposed a new agreement to directly reimburse the City of San Mateo for all costs associated with the per diem clinician position.
The cost of providing services for the remainder of the fiscal year is estimated at $55,000. The scope of services under the new agreement will remain consistent with the prior agreement, with the clinician continuing to provide various services for at risk residents. The County plans to reimburse the City using Justice Assistance Grant funding which must be expended by the end of the current fiscal year. Therefore, the term of the new agreement will conclude June 30, 2026. It is City policy that intergovernmental agreements be approved by the City Council.
BUDGET IMPACT:
There is no net cost to the City for this agreement. The County will reimburse the City for costs incurred through June 30, 2026.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
CITY OF SAN MATEO
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This agreement is not a project subject to CEQA, because it can be seen with certainty that it will not cause a physical change in the environment. (Public Resources Code Section 21065.)
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Proposed Agreement
STAFF CONTACT
Ed Barberini, Chief of Police
[email protected]
(650) 522-7600