Poor access to mental health care hurts everyone.

We help municipalities, legislators, attorneys, and mental health advocates turn complex gaps in emergency response and mental health law into clear, workable solutions.

5200 Research

When someone is in a mental health crisis and refusing help, families, caregivers and even first responders can often feel powerless. California law actually includes a little-known pathway to ask for a court-ordered mental health evaluation. This paper explains that law, why it matters, and why it is not being used.

Written for legislators, policymakers, mental health advocates, and anyone trying to understand why the system keeps failing the same people.

This analysis has been featured in:

Los Angeles Times | An answer hiding in plain sight by Steve Lopez | February 21, 2026 | Read the column

LAist 89.3 FM | AirTalk with Larry Mantle | February 25, 2026 | 9:20am-10:00am | Featuring Jon Sherin MD, Aaron Meyer MD & Ann Marie Council JD | Scroll to the second segment to listen

The Steinberg Institute | InFocus Monthly Highlights | February 2026

San Diego Union-Tribune | Pressure mounts for resumption of court-ordered mental health evaluations by Paul Sisson & Kelly Davis | March 22, 2026 | Read the column

San Diego Union-Tribune | ‘The status quo isn’t acceptable’: How a San Diego lawmaker aims to help the hardest-to-reach people with mental illness by Kelly Davis & Paul Sisson | March 29, 2026 | Read the column

Podcast Guest (Two-Part Series) | Why Not Me? Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide with Tony Mantor | Featuring Aaron Meyer MD & Ann Marie Council JD | Airing June 2026

Read an Overview
Read the full paper

Who We Serve

Cities and Counties

Turning complex mental health law into operational policies you can implement.

EMS Departments

We identify why patients are over-utilizing 911 in your jurisdiction, and help you develop multi-agency coordination policies to help reduce this use and close gaps in services.

Law Firms

California mental health law is dense and fast-changing. We provide the research, analysis, and expert education your team needs to build stronger cases and better advise clients in crisis situations.

Legislators

You know what needs to change in the mental health system. We help you write the bill that delivers real results.

Non-profit Organizations

We deliver cutomized trainings and create research papers and on mental health law to ground your advocacy in legal and operational reality.

Learn more about our services.

Our Expertise

Quarter Turn Strategies was built by people who worked inside these systems, and lived the gaps firsthand.

Founding partner Ann Marie Council spent 25 years as a Senior Deputy City Attorney for the City of San Diego, where she developed the LIFT Program: a first-of-its-kind initiative that combined EMS, law enforcement, and medical teams to open legal pathways to treatment, resulting in more than a 90 percent reduction in associated 911 calls.

Fellow founding partner Wendy Moore has spent more than two decades securing resources for first responders, including 15 years as Executive Director of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation.

Our collaborators include clinicians, researchers, and program architects whose work has shaped mental health policy and emergency response at the state and national level.

Meet the team.