The executive director of a statewide mental health commission resigned late last Thursday under fire over a six-day, all-expenses-paid trip he took to England last summer with Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown and two other members of the commission. Commission administrator Toby Ewing resigned after it was revealed that the travel expenses were covered by a private British mental health contractor for whom Ewing had lobbied state legislators.

Ewing’s resignation was announced following a four-hour closed session at a meeting of the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, in which several mental health advocates voiced objections to what they called poor optics and a clear conflict of interest in the regulation.

The company in question – Kooth – produces Soluna, a self-coaching mental health app aimed at users ages 13-25. Kooth paid $15,000 per person to cover travel expenses for Ewing, Brown and one of two other commissioners who made the trip, state records show.

With the province facing a $45 billion deficit, funding for the implementation was planned to be cut by $140 million, or more than half. The implementation fell significantly below projected performance benchmarks in its first year. Ewing met with the staff of several key legislative leaders before the trip to oppose the proposed cuts. The proposed cuts did not materialize and Soluna’s finances remained intact despite its initial poor performance. As of May, the Soluna application reached 20,000 subscribers from a population pool of 12 million.

Sheriff Brown has been a member of the commission since 2010, making him its senior member. In addition to his duties as sheriff, Brown played a high-profile role in statewide and national organizations dealing with law enforcement and, to a lesser extent, mental health. The commission was created to ensure that mental health funds created by a millionaires tax approved by state voters in 2004 are spent as voters approved.

In an email interview, Brown stated that he had not lobbied anyone on behalf of Kooth or the app. “Let me be clear; “I had no role in funding Kooth’s practices and in no way lobbied, phoned or spoke to anyone on Kooth’s behalf.”

It was only after the tour began that Kooth became aware that his app had been targeted for funding cuts in the proposed state budget, and that funding was later restored, Brown said.

Brown said he took the trip because “the UK is widely recognized for the progress it has made in meeting mental health needs, particularly in relation to early psychosis.” He noted that it is well understood by Californians that family members struggling with psychosis “are often responded to by law enforcement.” Brown stated that as the commission’s leader in efforts to deflect law enforcement, he was invited to participate.

He added that he was aware that the trip and its financing had been previously reviewed and approved by the commission’s own attorney, the Fair Political Practices Commission, and the governor’s own offices. Apart from one open day, Brown said his schedule was spent working interacting with mental health professionals, academics and service providers.

The cuts originally proposed for Kooth’s app were part of a proposed $360 million in cuts to mental health services. Ewing, who has been on the commission since 2015 and receives $175,000 annually, was placed on administrative leave this September due to conflict of interest concerns, according to media reports.

While his commission had no direct role in approving the contract with Kooth, it’s clear from emails, text messages and appointment records that Ewing made moves on behalf of the company, meeting with Senate leaders and staff as funding for his practice came under fire. revealed that the app needed more time to fulfill its initial promise. The story broke when three whistleblowers from his office complained to the state comptroller.

A commission spokesman declined to comment, and a call to the commission’s attorney was not returned.

There is no evidence that Ewing met with anyone from State Assemblyman Gregg Hart’s office or State Senator Monique Limón’s office.

During public comment before the commission entered closed session deliberations last Thursday, the commission heard from several mental health advocates who were upset that Ewing appeared to favor established institutional providers and failed to appreciate how badly that reflected on the company. The mission of the commission.