Mental Health

CalMatters and CatchLight are partnering on a three-year initiative to tell powerful stories about mental health in California. We’ll spotlight solutions, personal stories, investigate systems, and bring greater awareness to this historically stigmatized topic. This initiative is supported by:

Enlight Foundation
California Health Care Foundation
Flourish Impact Fund
Lisa Stone Pritzker Family Foundation
Resonance Philanthropies
Sarlo Family Foundation
Sand Hill Foundation
Stuart Foundation

A child sits at a table holding a smartphone, watching a video of an adult demonstrating how to arrange pink plastic counting blocks into a square, with the blocks spread across the tabletop in front of them.

Technology

‘We’re basically pushers:’ Two California courtrooms hear how companies may have hooked kids on social media

Lawsuits in California federal and state court are unearthing documents embarrassing to tech companies — and may be a tipping point into federal regulation.

By Colin Lecher • January 30, 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

People stand in front of a row of tents along the sidewalk of a street. The tents are decorated with various words and graffiti.

Commentary

It ‘took a village’ to heal her trauma and homelessness. Will California keep funding this help?

California’s Prop 36 has put at risk the funding stream for the state’s 24 Trauma Recovery Centers, which provide a variety of services to crime victims.

By Kathy Brown-Lowe • January 26, 2026

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference announcing a proposed a 2024 ballot initiative to improve mental health services across the state, at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, on March 19, 2023. Photo by Adriana Heldiz/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP, Pool

Homelessness

New California law expands Newsom’s mental health court

A California new law expands CARE Court, a mental health program championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, to include some people diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

By Marisa Kendall • December 27, 2025

Reader Reactions

The gap between CARE Court’s intent and its real-world application

CARE Court can produce some positive results, but many people may not succeed for reasons unrelated to their ability to survive safely.

By Tom Scott • December 23, 2025

Justice

She goes to police calls in a Prius. It’s part of new approach to mental health emergencies

San Mateo adopted a new approach to mental health 911 calls by pairing police with mental health clinicians. Researchers found that it reduced the number of future mental health emergency calls and involuntary psychiatric holds by roughly 17%.

By Cayla Mihalovich • December 23, 2025

A person in glasses holds a wooden-framed black-and-white photograph to her chest while standing by a window in a dark room. The woman is looking outside of the window while she and the picture are reflected on the glass window.

Health

Remembering Papa: Northern California’s elderly face hidden epidemic of gun suicides

Senior Californians in rural communities are dying by suicide at troubling rates—struggling with pain, cut off from doctors and mental health care, with guns at hand. Access to care and safety planning would help, experts say.

By Ana B. Ibarra • December 22, 2025

Several people stand in front of a wall labeled “Resources,” browsing pamphlets about health and community services displayed in clear holders at a public information center.

Mental Health

Everything you need to know about how to use California’s new mental health court

Who is eligible for CARE Court? How do I file a petition? Can this program force someone into treatment? Read on to find out.

By Marisa Kendall • December 18, 2025

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.

Homelessness

Why Newsom’s CARE Court has struggled to help homeless Californians most in need

CARE Court was supposed to be a new way to help homeless Californians in the grip of psychosis. But people are still falling through the cracks.

By Marisa Kendall • December 18, 2025

A collage-style illustration in blue and orange tones with individual photos of six people. The illustration includes textures, text, dotted lines and scribbles as added details.

Mental Health

How does Newsom’s new mental health court work? Here’s what real people involved say

Gov. Gavin Newsom's CARE Court changed the way California treats people with severe mental illness. We spoke with dozens of participants to learn how it's working.

By Marisa Kendall and Jocelyn Wiener • December 18, 2025