Legislative Analyst's Office

Analysis of the 2003-04 Budget Bill

Department of Mental Health (4440)

The Department of Mental Health (DMH) operates four state hospitals—Atascadero, Metropolitan, Napa, and Patton. As of December 2002, the system housed over 4,200 patients. The budget includes $325,000 from the General Fund and $46.8 million in lease revenue bonds for the department's 2003-04 capital outlay program. The budget includes the following proposals:

Previously funded projects:

New proposal:

Patton State Hospital Generator Plant Project—Approval Contingent On Review of Preliminary Plans

We recommend the Legislature approve $3.6 million to fund working drawings and construction for Upgrade Electrical Generator Plant project at Patton State Hospital contingent on receipt and review of preliminary plans consistent with prior legislative approval.

The Governor's budget includes funding for working drawings and construction of the Upgrade Electrical Generator Plant project at Patton State Hospital for which preliminary plans were funded in the 2002-03 Budget Act. The amount included in the Governor's budget proposal is consistent with the supplemental report language adopted by the Legislature and, pending completion of preliminary plans, should proceed. According to the project schedule, the preliminary plans are to be completed in June 2003. Therefore, we recommend the Legislature approve the requested amount contingent on receipt and review of substantially completed preliminary plans and cost estimates that are consistent with prior legislative approval.

New Kitchen and Satellite Kitchen Remodels at Metropolitan State Hospital—Include Budget Bill Language on Legislative Oversight

We recommend the inclusion of budget bill language described in the "Crosscutting Issues" section of this chapter that would assure the Legislature's oversight role when fully funding all phases of a lease-revenue bond project.

The Governor's budget includes $18.7 million funding for preliminary plans, working drawings, and construction of a new central kitchen facility and a renovation of the existing satellite serving kitchens at Metropolitan State Hospital. The current kitchen facilities were constructed in the 1950s and have not had any major renovations since then. At the request of DMH, the Department of General Services (DGS) completed an in-depth review of all food service facilities at Metropolitan. That 1990 study concluded that the existing central kitchen should be replaced, and the satellite serving kitchens should be renovated to bring the hospital's food service up to current technology.

In 1994, DGS's Seismic Retrofit Program evaluated the kitchen facility and concluded that the main kitchen facility was a "Risk Level V" building. Under the criteria used by the Seismic Retrofit Program, all Risk Level V buildings were to be seismically retrofitted or replaced because of the significant danger they posed to occupants and nearby structures. However, because DMH was undergoing a programmatic review on how best to address its kitchens systemwide, the Metropolitan kitchen was never seismically repaired.

We have reviewed the DGS kitchen study and verified the seismic Risk Level V rating. Accordingly, we recommend the Legislature approve $18.7 million to construct a new kitchen and renovate the satellite serving kitchens. However, consistent with our discussion in the "Crosscutting Issues" section of this chapter, we recommend the addition of budget bill language that assures the Legislature's oversight role when fully funding all phases of a lease-revenue bond project.

Return to Capital Outlay Table of Contents, 2003-04 Budget Analysis