Is Newsom’s CARE Court Living Up To His Promises?

Seven years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom told Californians he wanted to be known for “audacious stretch goals” rather than being too timid.

His mental health overhaul counts as one of those, from changes that expanded coverage for mental health conditions to last year’s Proposition 1, the ballot measure that poured $6.4 billion into new mental health housing.

A team of CalMatters reporters this week published a deep look into one of the key components of Newsom’s mental health strategy: CARE Court, a program intended to help seriously ill Californians living on the streets.

They found the program has treated only a small fraction of eligible patients — as in hundreds of people rather than the thousands Newsom projected.

• Tanya Fedak, whose son cycles between homelessness and jail despite being accepted into CARE Court: “These are our loved ones. It’s our taxpayers’ money. There’s no accountability. And it’s frustrating to see it go down, because my son is going to end up dead.”

After requesting data from all of California’s 58 counties (though four did not respond) and conducting more than 30 interviews, CalMatters found that, among other things:

• San Diego County received 384 petitions and established 134 voluntary agreements in the first two years. The county anticipated receiving 1,000 petitions and establishing court-ordered treatment plans for 250 people in the first year.

• Los Angeles County received 511 petitions (the most in the state) and established 112 treatment agreements or plans. In 2023, county officials predicted the county could enroll 4,500 people in the first year.

Courts also dismissed a large portion of petitions — about 45% statewide. And while only 14 treatment plans have been ordered so far, counties mostly offer voluntary treatment agreements — which people are free to ignore.

Why the slow progress?

State officials say CARE Court is a complicated program, which requires more time to hit the goals set by the Newsom administration. But there are other reasons too: Petitions can be rejected due to narrow eligibility criteria; it can be difficult to follow up with an unhoused person; and even with a judge’s order, it can be hard to force a client to accept services after they have already refused.

Read more to find out how well the program is faring in your county. Or if you’re short on time, check out our main takeaways.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.