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

Stacey Berardino, assistant deputy director over the forensics and justice involved division of mental health, speaks to community members about CARE Court, a new program that will be implemented in October of 2023, at the St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in Cypress on Aug. 17, 2023. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

WhatMatters

Can CARE Courts ease California’s homeless crisis?

California is struggling with the intertwined crises of homelessness and mental illness. But are Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new CARE Courts the right prescription? That depends largely on whether county courts and mental health departments succeed as they roll out the program starting in October. And as CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang details, that’s definitely a work in […]

By Lynn La • August 28, 2023

Gov. Gavin Newsom announces 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

WhatMatters

No deal yet on Newsom mental health plan

From CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang: If Gov. Gavin Newsom was hoping amendments introduced to his mental health overhaul last week would sufficiently appease critics, Tuesday’s back-to-back committee hearings only revealed how much further he has to go to reach a compromise. The big idea: Newsom wants counties to prioritize behavioral health spending on homeless […]

By Lynn La • August 23, 2023

Parents, students and supporters of parental rights rally at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Aug. 21, 2023. Photo by Rahul Lal for CalMatters

WhatMatters

California parental rights battle gets louder

It was a tale of two opposing events on parents’ role in California schools — though one was postponed because of Tropical Storm Hilary. In one corner was the California Family Council, a nonprofit, religious organization rallying at the state Capitol on Monday with pastors, attorneys and Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified School District board […]

By Lynn La • August 22, 2023

Mental Health

Gavin Newsom gives ground to critics on his mental health plan. Will voters back it?

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants counties to spend some revenue from California’s so-called “millionaire’s tax” on the state’s homeless crisis. That alarms advocates for programs that are getting that money today.

By Kristen Hwang • August 17, 2023

New housing construction in Elk Grove ON July 8, 2022.

WhatMatters

Which bills are California ‘housing killers?’

The California Chamber of Commerce has its annual “job killer” list, with a track record of spiking bills that is the envy of other industry groups. By its count, only 58 of the 824 bills labeled “job killers” between 1997 and 2022 made it into law without at least significant changes it wanted. Similarly, California […]

By Lynn La • August 17, 2023

A guard tower at the California Health Care Facility prison in Stockton on March 2, 2022. Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Politics

Some of California’s best-paid public employees say they’re ready to strike. Here’s why

Almost half of the jobs for doctors and psychiatrists in California prisons are unfilled. Now, their union says it’s ready to strike over pay even as the state faces a steep budget deficit.

By Kristen Hwang • August 2, 2023

Lawyers and a judge speak inside a courtroom at the Madera County Superior Court in Madera on Sept. 29, 2021. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

Commentary

California judge: I talk openly about my anxiety to reduce stigmas around mental health

The most traumatized people in a courtroom are the victims, survivors and bystanders who witnessed a crime. But judges experience secondary trauma as people retell their experiences. A Sacramento area judge with anxiety argues the importance of seeking out mental health care.

By Guest Commentary • July 19, 2023

Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock

Mental Health

‘A lifesaving tool’: California’s new mental health crisis line sees a surge in calls

One California mental health crisis center grew its staff by almost 50% to accommodate that number of calls it’s been receiving since the state launched its 988 hotline.

By Anabel Sosa • July 19, 2023

WhatMatters

Can a new California legislative caucus make a dent in poverty?

At the state Capitol, legislators meet in specific groups on environmental issues, mental health and renters’ rights and also gather around their common identities. As my colleague Sameea Kamal reported recently, there are more than 20 caucuses at the Legislature. Add another one — the End Poverty caucus. As first reported by Politico, it is […]

By Lynn La • July 19, 2023

Mental Health

Gavin Newsom’s mental health plan could strip more than $700 million from services, report says

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to rethink how California spends its millionaire’s tax by directing more money toward housing. Some county-run mental health programs could lose out.

By Kristen Hwang • July 17, 2023