Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) put pressure on local governments Monday, strongly warning that California could withhold funding from counties he says are failing to implement his signature mental health initiative properly, CARE Court.
Frustrated by what his administration views as uneven participation across the state, Newsom singled out Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange, Santa Clara, San Bernardino, Kern, Riverside, Yolo, Monterey, and Fresno counties, accusing them of lagging in using the court-based program designed to steer people with severe mental illness into treatment.
“I’m happy to redirect every damn penny in these programs to the counties that are getting things done, period, full stop,” Newsom said during a news conference. “Unless they stop doing what they’ve done. Don’t make any more excuses.”
Launched in 2023, CARE Court, which stands for Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment Court, allows judges to order treatment plans for people experiencing serious mental health crises, particularly those living on the streets or cycling through emergency systems after traditional services have failed. The program expanded statewide by December 2024 after an initial rollout in eight counties…