SACRAMENTO, CA – On October 10, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 27 (Umberg) into law. This bill vastly expands eligibility for and referrals to the ineffective CARE Court program without filling ongoing gaps in housing, mental health workforce, or mental health services.

CARE Court is effectively still in its first year, and very little data on implementation is available. What we know so far is that it is an incredibly expensive court program – estimated to cost over $700,000 per person in fiscal year 2023-24 – that orders people into services without increasing access to them. People enrolled in CARE Court are placed on the same waitlists for services as anyone seeking services on their own, meaning that in most cases they have been placed into an involuntary long-term court process, another carceral legal system, but gained nothing in material aid or care.

The best way to move toward a future that works for all of us is to engage with impacted communities as partners. This bill was expedited through the Senate without giving the public a chance to provide feedback. Initially introduced with minimal language as a “spot bill,” SB 27 took on significant and controversial amendments after it had already made its way through most of the legislative process. This bypass denied the people who will be most impacted, legislators, and the public at large the opportunity to get informed and engage in the democratic process. 

Based on our lived experience and collective work over decades, we have extensive evidence of interventions that meet the needs of everyone in the community by improving health outcomes, ending homelessness, and saving money. Full-service partnership programs, supported housing, supported employment, and peer-led call centers, mobile crisis teams, and respite centers are just some of the many voluntary, community-based interventions that break cycles of violence and coercion and meet peoples’ needs. 

Californians need housing and community-based mental health services. Not doubling down on coercion. While the shady passage of SB 27 and the continued pursuit of the harmful and wasteful CARE Court program is disheartening, we will continue to push forward with impacted communities leading the way. 

Nothing about us without us. 

Media Contact

Sam Mickens
Director of Communications
(646) 945-0918
Sam.Mickens@disabilityrightsca.org

Disability Rights California (DRC) – Is the agency designated under federal law to protect and advocate for the rights of Californians with disabilities. The mission of DRC is to defend, advance, and strengthen the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities.

Cal Voices - is dedicated to improving the lives of residents in the diverse communities of California through advocacy, education, research, and culturally relevant services.  In all of its programs, Cal Voices works with individuals and families with mental health challenges to promote wellness and recovery, prevention, and improved access to services and support.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) – is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit serving individuals with depression, bipolar, anxiety, PTSD, and other mood disorders. We provide help to those affected by mood disorders by offering peer led support groups, wellness tools, and mental health resources.

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund - Founded in 1979, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) is a civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents who have children with disabilities. 

The Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (PsychRights) - is a non-profit public interest law firm whose mission is to mount a  strategic litigation campaign against forced psychiatric drugging and electroshock in the United States.

Mental Health America of California (MHAC) - Leading the state of California since 1957, a peer-run organization, meeting communities where they’re at. The mission of MHAC is to assist and encourage communities, families and individuals to experience hope, wellness and recovery from mental health and substance use disorder issues.

The National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse - Is a peer-run national technical assistance and resource center that fosters recovery, self-determination, and community inclusion. The Clearinghouse serves individuals with lived experience of a mental health condition, peer-run service and advocacy organizations, family members, mental health professionals and service providers, policy makers, and the public.

Western Center on Law & Poverty - Seeks to eliminate poverty and advance racial and economic justice by dismantling and transforming systems so all communities in California can thrive.