Mental Health

Thumbnail image of a map of senior centers, zoomed to Southern California

Mental Health

Find a senior center near you in California

Use our map to find public places where older adults gather for meals, classes, exercise and community.

By

Meisi Li

• March 27, 2026

A group of officials stands inside a building under construction with exposed wooden framing. One person speaks at a podium with a sign that reads “TREATMENT NOT TENTS,” while others stand behind them listening. Temporary work lights hang overhead, and unfinished walls and beams fill the background.

Mental Health

Newsom threatens California counties for failing to use his new mental health court

Far fewer people with mental illness are getting help in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court program than expected. This week, he blamed local governments for shortcomings.

By

Marisa Kendall

• March 2, 2026

The entrance of a dark beige building with a blue sign that reads "Central Valley Regional Center" on the top.

Health

‘What will happen when I’m gone?’: Parents of people with disabilities push to expand services

In California, a person’s disability must begin before age 18 to qualify for regional center services. Parent advocates say that leaves behind people whose disability started in early adult years, when their brains were still developing.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• February 24, 2026

Two people walk arm in arm through a room with chairs and tables where several others sit together, with framed documents on the wall and windows along one side.

Mental Health

How an aging California is turning to senior centers for romance, community and health

No two senior centers are alike. We visited three very different venues in L.A. to learn how they're changing to meet the needs of California's aging population.

By

Joe Garcia

• February 18, 2026

Mental Health

‘We wanted to find new friends’: See how older Californians are proving that senior isolation isn’t inevitable

Los Angeles senior centers are rebounding from COVID shutdowns and offering new programs for older adults. See how life changed for participants since the pandemic.

By

Isadora Kosofsky

and

Jenny Jacklin-Stratton

• February 18, 2026

An older adult using a walker approaches a small green shuttle bus parked at a curb, long shadows stretching across the sidewalk in bright late-afternoon sunlight.

Mental Health

5 things we learned by spending time in Los Angeles senior centers

No two California senior centers are alike. They're shaped by their neighborhoods with programs that range from gym classes to meals, movie nights and more.

By

Joe Garcia

• February 18, 2026

A close-up of a person’s face seen through a reflective surface, with two vertical tattoo lines on the chin, dangling earrings, and their gaze directed upward against a dark, blurred background.

Mental Health

Mental health advocate for California tribes dies; victim in murder-suicide

Celinda Gonzales of the Yurok Tribe worked to prevent suicides among Native Americans after experiencing loss in her family. She "was a friend to many," the tribe said.

By

Nigel Duara

• February 11, 2026

Silhouette of a person standing at a railing looking out into a bay with boats and the skyline of buildings in the background. The run is shining down, reflecting in the bay and creating shadows on the person and ships around the frame.

Mental Health

Listen: What happens when Californians with mental illness refuse to be treated?

One of Gov. Newsom's signature mental health programs was meant to bring treatment to people who refused it. So far, it's helping fewer Californians than many hoped.

By

Julie Wernau

and

Dan Gorenstein

• February 5, 2026

Health

California mental health hospitals warn of cuts after state hands down staffing rules

Psychiatric hospitals could close beds under proposed state rules if regulators don’t allow implementation time, facilities warn.

By

Kristen Hwang

• January 28, 2026

A close-up view of a child receiving a vaccine shot in their arm with their sleeve rolled up. Both the nurse and the child are wearing face masks and sitting near a table inside a make-shift clinic.

Health

Federal cuts and reversals upend California health care in 2025

California health care was hit hard in 2025: more than three million may lose Medicaid, Covered California subsidies at risk, and the state froze enrollment for undocumented residents amid budget cuts.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• December 26, 2025