Mental Health

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Proposition 1 is the latest milestone in California’s long struggle to address mental illness. It would allocate new funding for housing and treatment facilities, aiming to address a crisis that plays out on city streets.

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond that would build thousands of housing units and treatment beds for people with serious mental health conditions. A 2018 ballot measure that made similar promises offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

In California, it’s usually police who confine mentally ill people for involuntary 72-hour holds so they can be evaluated and treated. A pending bill would extend the so-called 5150 confinement authority to county-designated psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists and clinical counselors.

California is modernizing how it pays health care providers through Medi-Cal. Some mental health providers say the changes endanger their services.

All but two California counties are delaying their implementation of a new law that makes it easier for a court to place someone in involuntary confinement if they can't care for their own medical needs or personal safety.

A 2020 California law expanded the number of mental health conditions that insurers must cover. Now, lawmakers are reviewing whether the law is working as intended.

Kaiser patients waited 19 days for follow-up mental health appointments in 2019, nine days longer than state law permits. The settlement includes the largest-ever penalty issued by California’s behavioral health regulator.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature mental health policies allow the involuntary treatment of more Californians with severe mental illnesses. Some fear the new laws will infringe on the civil liberties of people confined against their will.

The facts of climate change can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair. Some California activists are creating communities for people to talk about those feelings.

California collects a special tax on high incomes to fund mental health services. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to change how the money is spent so a share of it can be used to fund housing for homeless people with mental illnesses.