One Year Into The 988 Mental Health Crisis Lifeline (And Other Headlines)

One year ago, a new national suicide prevention and mental health crisis lifeline went live. It was supposed to shift the country’s accustomed way of handling mental health emergencies from police officers to unarmed mental health professionals. While there were concerns from advocates about whether California’s dozen crisis centers would be ready to field an increase in demand, the 988 lifeline launched last July.

A need for more mobile crisis teams

Now, one year later, my colleague Robert Garrova gives us a brief progress report. It turns out the call centers have been up to the task: More than 280,000 contacts were made from various forms of communication since July.

However, one problem remains.

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Los Angeles County needs more mental health professionals to respond in person to Angelenos facing mental health challenges. L.A. has struggled to create a more robust unarmed mental health crisis response team for years, after they promised residents they’d do so as a response to the murder of George Floyd.

Finding people to serve on a mobile response team that would operate on an around-the-clock basis has been anything but easy, but there’s more support on the way. Read Robert’s story to learn more.

Stay safe and cool, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading. 

More news

(After you stop hitting snooze)

• The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to take steps in ensuring that renters who are at risk of losing their homes are provided free legal representation in court. My colleague David Wagner has more details on the program. 
• A judge blocked the L.A. County inspector general from looking into tattoos on two deputy gangs within the Sheriff’s Department. My colleague Frank Stoltze has more insight. 
• Leslie Van Houten, one of the Manson family members who participated in a brutal murder, has been paroled from prison. Here’s why it matters and what’s next.
• After nearly a century in the community of Vernon, the Farmer John slaughterhouse shut down earlier this year, leaving its mostly immigrant workforce of more than 2,000 people without jobs. Months later, many of those workers are still trying to figure out what to do next.
• Could we see speed cameras in L.A. County in the near future? A proposed bill could allow cities like Glendale to place the cameras  in areas like schools to prevent accidents. But some organizations, like the ACLU, are against the bill. 
• Chinatown’s Cathay Manor served as a place where older locals could live their last years in affordable housing. After years of mismanagement, a New York developer purchased the apartment complex. Even though things seem to be improving, some people feel like it’s a loss for the community. 
• Advocates are pushing for California lawmakers to improve work-life balance for workers — namely more paid sick leave and expansion on who can receive it. But, people opposed to a potential new bill see it being a problem for small businesses. 
• When it comes to water supply in drought-stricken Western states, those who have newer water rights have to give up their water first, while those who have older rights may not have to lose their water.  But despite Indigenous tribes being the original inhabitants of the land, they often lose out. Indigenous communities are calling for a complete renovation of the centuries-old water system, saying that it is essentially racist. 
• The Writers Guild of America strike and the threat of a Screen Actors Guild work stoppage could impact the Emmy Awards if Hollywood industry workers are still picketing in mid-September. NPR’s Linda Holmes has predictions on what the Emmy scene might look like given the current labor unrest. 
• Four L.A. taco and Asian flavor eateries have been announced as 2023 Michelin “Bib Gourmand” restaurants. The Bib Gourmand award recognizes restaurants who give the most quality bang for your buck.

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The L.A. Made: Barbie Tapes Podcast

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When I was a little girl, I LOVED everything Barbie. I especially loved getting ahold of my mom’s fancy collector’s item Barbie that I wasn’t supposed to play with. (Sorry, mom, but Barbies are supposed to be played with.) And now with all of the hype surrounding the Barbie movie (which opens this weekend) we have to talk more about the L.A. origins of our favorite fashionable BOSS.

Enter our podcast, The Barbie Tapes. The hosts are Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord, who actually wrote the book Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. The first episode goes into Barbie’s burst onto the toy scene, and the series will feature stories and interviews with everyone who had a hand in Barbie’s creation. Check it out here or wherever you get your podcasts.