Russell “Rusty” Selix, J.D., was one of the most important advocates for increased funding and innovation in the California mental health system in recent years.  He attended Northwestern University and earned his law degree at the University of California at Davis, before becoming a policy advocate. After working as the deputy city attorney for the City of Sacramento, he became a lobbyist for the League of Cities, an experience which gave him intimate knowledge of the complex relationships between local and state governments. In the 1980s, he began working as an advocate for the mental health system, and served as the Executive Director of the California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies and Mental Health America of California. Among his many accomplishments in the mental health field, Selix played a key role in the creation of the AB 34 and AB 2034 programs, and he wrote 2004’s Proposition 63, which created the Mental Health Services Act.  Selix died in 2019.

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