CARE Court

by Supervisor Susan Ellenberg

There is a shiny new tool in the toolbox: Governor Newsom signed SB 1338 in San Jose last week, authorizing the creation of a new administrative level in our judicial system: CARE Court. CARE stands for Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment and is the Governor’s signature legislation. The bill found strong support in the legislature and from big city Mayors. It is touted as “a new pathway to deliver mental health and substance use disorder services to the most severely impaired Californians who too often suffer in homelessness or incarceration without treatment.” And, believe me, there is nothing I want more than to improve delivery of services to people who are suffering.