California Governor Gavin Newsom, shown here in a file photo, is challenging counties he said aren't making use of one of his initiatives to support homeless people with mental illness.

Newsom praises Alameda County for CARE Court, blasts Santa Clara County

“I’m just out of patience,” Newsom told reporters Monday in Hayward

by · The Mercury News

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom praised Alameda County on Monday and said its leaders had quickly scaled up their version of the Democrat’s signature mental health initiative, CARE Court, which aims to stabilize people with serious mental illness who are homeless.

But Newsom called out Santa Clara County, saying its CARE Court has reached too few people since the program debuted in December 2024. State law requires all counties to host these courts. Newsom also said he may pull funding from counties that “haven’t got it done.” That could mean Santa Clara County could begin footing the bill for the program.

“I’m just out of patience,” Newsom said.

In a statement, Santa Clara County Executive James Williams said the county has prioritized other treatment programs rather than “lengthy, costly, and often inadequate court-based processes that do not produce better outcomes.”

“CARE Court is one tool among many,” Williams said. “The number of people who go through that process is not, and has never been, the sole measure of a county’s performance. Instead, we have added hundreds of new treatment beds that can serve nearly 3,000 additional clients every year and are rapidly connecting individuals with severe behavioral health conditions to treatment and housing.”

That appears to be odds with Newsom’s vision. He has touted the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment court program as a solution to stabilize and house people with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Family members, first responders and others can refer people with severe, untreated psychiatric issues to the program. It is one prong of Newsom’s spending initiatives to reduce homelessness.

If a person is eligible for CARE court, a judge collaborates with them and county health officials to develop a personalized treatment plan that may include medication, drug counseling, residential treatment or supportive housing. However, a person must meet seven criteria to be eligible, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder at a severe level.

Some mental health advocates and loved ones of people with severe illnesses have said CARE Courts are too limited or have rolled out too slowly.

Newsom began ratcheting up pressure on Santa Clara County and others last year. On Monday, his administration released a list of counties he said had reached the fewest people with their CARE courts, based on the rate of petitions, or referrals, to the program. In the Bay Area, that list included San Francisco, which reported 50 petitions in 2025, or six per 100,000 residents, and Santa Clara County, with 47 petitions, or two per 100,000 residents. State officials released the data in a public dashboard.

“Bottom line is, we need to see the individuals who can benefit from these resources and the CARE process served,” said California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Johnson. “And they need to be served today.”

Mental health advocates have said that relatively few people are referred to CARE courts because law enforcement, health providers and loved ones of people with severe mental illnesses may not be aware it is an option. The National Alliance on Mental Illness launched training programs to raise awareness last year. Family members said they can feel overwhelmed by the petition process.

As of October, Santa Clara County’s CARE Court had received 42 petitions and ordered just one treatment plan.

Newsom said leaders in Alameda County had embraced the court program. Its CARE court received 208 petitions last year, or 13 per 100,000 residents, according to the state’s data. That’s double the state average. It wasn’t immediately clear how many people had received a treatment plan through the process there.

Judge Sandra Bean leads the CARE court in Alameda County Superior Court. By working with public defenders, nonprofit providers and the county behavioral health department, she said, the process has improved the lives of residents who are unable to care for themselves. In the past, that kind of collaboration was curbed by “a lot of egos” in the courtroom, Bean said.

The process landed a former debate champion in an apartment after he had become mentally ill and homeless, Bean said. That petition was brought by his family, she said.

“He’s doing very well,” Bean said.

To speed up referrals elsewhere, state officials said Monday they’ve offered technical assistance and training. It’s unclear if they’d done so in Santa Clara County, where leaders have at times sparred with Newsom over housing and behavioral health programming. Newsom said Monday he’s considering other avenues to speed up petitions to CARE courts this spring, as he meets with lawmakers to hammer out the 2026-2027 budget and set priorities.

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