When people in California talk about mental health and homelessness, it’s usually the sickest people who come to mind: Those living on the street in the grip of psychosis.
But conditions such as depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder actually are far more common among homeless Californians. While less visible, those conditions can be debilitating and derail people’s efforts to get into housing. And people on the street often have a hard time finding a therapist and making it to a clinic for appointments.
To solve that problem, therapists have started bringing treatment directly to homeless patients in encampments.
- Lisette Carmona, a therapist in Los Angeles: “You can find me on the riverbed, you can find me in a tent. … Wherever the patient is comfortable, that’s where I’m conducting their therapy.”
That type of treatment has made a huge difference in the lives of patients such as 35-year-old Jessica Scott, who said her anxiety used to be so bad that she panicked when trying to make appointments to find housing. While living in her stepfather’s car, she started seeing a therapist who taught her techniques to calm herself. A few weeks ago, she moved into an apartment in Sacramento.
- Scott: “When you’re panicking so much that you can’t really talk to people, it’s difficult to do anything.”
Not everyone who wants therapy on the street can get it. Doctors, nurses and clinicians CalMatters spoke to estimate between 80% and 90% of their patients have a mental health condition — most commonly depression, anxiety and PTSD — that could benefit from therapy. One street psychiatrist said his team can provide therapy to just 5% of the patients that could use it.
Focus on Inland Empire: Each Wednesday, CalMatters Inland Empire reporter Aidan McGloin surveys the big stories from that part of California. Read his newsletter and sign up here to receive it.
Other Stories You Should Know
Big Brother in your car
How much surveillance are you willing to accept for a possible discount on your car insurance?
That’s the bottom line in the debate over legislation that would enable insurance companies to monitor drivers’ behavior through telematics — technology installed in cars that transmits data such as location, speed, braking force and swerving. In return, drivers who choose to use telematics and drive safely could get discounts on their premiums, writes CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay.
Consumer and privacy advocates who oppose the bill say that the use of telematics raises privacy and transparency concerns. In a June letter to legislators, Josephine Figueroa, a deputy insurance commissioner for California, also argued that the bill complicates the insurance department’s rate-approval authority because telematics would be involved.
- Figueroa, in the letter: “The bill creates broad liability loopholes, dilutes regulator oversight, and allows insurance companies to shift core regulatory responsibilities to unregulated third-party telematics vendors.”
Military gear for campus police
Campus police at California’s public universities and colleges are required by law to disclose any military-grade weaponry they own. But a CalMatters’ investigation into all 148 public campuses at the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges systems finds that not every college complies with every part of the law.
Phoebe Huss of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network combed through dozens of annual reports to create an extensive inventory of the equipment. The reports include hundreds of semi-automatic rifles, thousands of munitions and hundreds of thousands of rifle munitions.
The reports and policies also revealed that:
- Many campuses left out vital information, including manufacturers’ product descriptions, up-to-date inventories and equipment quantities.
- Multiple police departments said that in 2025 they did not hold a campus forum for the public to give feedback on the equipment — a requirement under the law.
- Not all listed equipment is approved for use by district or state governing boards. San Jose State University, for example, said in 2025 that its police department owns tear gas grenades, but Cal State’s policy does not authorize using tear gas grenades.
Read more about military weapons at California colleges, and if you’re a student journalist, learn how you can investigate your own campus.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Crime is a powerful political issue, and while it’s unclear what the recent decline is attributable to, it’s also been accompanied by a reversal in criminal justice politics.
California school districts should take advantage of funding that enables them to buy nondairy milk, so that every student can have access to a beverage that meets their needs, write Suzy Sayre and Emily Lin, the director of nutrition services at El Monte Union High School District and a senior at L.A. County’s Arroyo High School, respectively.
Other things worth your time:
A 72-year-old is swept up in SF’s flood of evictions // The San Francisco Standard
SF’s housing market is so hot buyers are offering $1M over asking // San Francisco Chronicle
CA’s first standalone ADU condo sale offers cheaper path to homeownership // The Mercury News
UC Davis and UCSF hurt the most in Trump’s shakeup of federal research funding // Abridged
Gangsters jailed in India orchestrated CA crime spree // Los Angeles Times
Could CA be its own country? See how strong the state economy really is // The Sacramento Bee
Jennifer Siebel Newsom sought to redefine the role of first spouse. Now, she faces her biggest test // Los Angeles Times
SF supervisors put public bank measure on November ballot // KQED
San Diego’s hotel tax won’t do exactly what it promised // Voice of San Diego
