Santa Clara County miffed at Newsom’s CARE Court criticism

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Santa Clara County needs to step up its game in treating people with severe mental health issues. County leaders and advocates disagree.

At a news conference Monday, Newsom singled out the county as one of 10 that are not bringing enough people through the state-mandated CARE Court system — designed to allow family members and first responders to petition the court to help treat adults with psychotic disorders. Since December 2024, 53 petitions have been filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court for individuals to enter a voluntary treatment program under the guidance of a judge, according to data provided by the county.

Newsom placed Santa Clara County on a “CARE ICU” list to receive extra help, along with San Francisco and Los Angeles counties. Alameda County, one of the 10 counties on the “CARE Champions” list, filed 208 petitions last year.

“There are a number of counties that get it and are getting things done, proving it can be done when you have leadership that cares enough to get it done,” Newsom said at the news conference. “I’m just not interested in funding failure now … there’s a lot of power in LA County, Riverside County, Santa Clara County, some of the counties we are calling out. But with respect, I’m happy to sweep every damn dollar and redirect it to folks up in Humboldt, in Alameda.”

Mental health advocate Andrew Siegler said Santa Clara County’s approach to mental health is more holistic than the governor’s agenda.

“Since when did Gavin Newsom have any experience in the mental health industry?” Siegler told San José Spotlight. “The county has built hundreds of (treatment) beds for people, (and provided funding) for non-law enforcement crisis response. (CARE Court is) not the only thing that matters, and it shouldn’t be the only thing any county is doing.”

Providing services

Although the number of CARE Court petitions may be low, county officials said it’s not reflective of how many people have been connected to voluntary treatment. Through referrals, the county sends a clinical outreach team to make contact with people struggling with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders at homes or on the streets. By building relationships with these individuals, community health workers have connected 66 people to treatment without needing to go through the CARE Court process since its implementation in December 2024.

“The number of petitions filed isn’t the only indicator of our progress, our efforts and the number of people who are getting help,” Deputy County Executive Ky Le, who oversees the Behavioral Health Services Department, told San José Spotlight.

Since 2022 when the Board of Supervisors declared a mental health emergency, the county has ramped up preventive services by implementing more residential treatment facilities, adding a behavior health navigator program, launching a police alternative with a mental health mobile crisis program known as TRUST, implementing an assisted outpatient (AOT) program — a court-ordered psychiatric treatment program — and other proactive efforts.

Soo Jung, behavioral health department director who helped bring the AOT program online, said outreach builds more trust with individuals and helps them be more willing to engage in services.

“When the staff are going out, whether it is someone’s home or on the streets, they will also ask, ‘What do you need?’ And it will oftentimes help them to open up,” Jung told San José Spotlight. “We also find that actually produces better outcomes when somebody is willingly and voluntarily engaging with services rather than having to go through the court process.”

CARE Court expands

Newsom signed the California Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, which established CARE court, into law in 2022 and it took effect statewide by Dec. 1, 2024. In order to qualify for the program, individuals need to be at least 18 years old, have a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder and need supervision in order to function in society.

Recently, the state expanded the program with Senate Bill 27 — effective Jan.1  — to include individuals diagnosed with bipolar I disorder with psychosis. A spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Superior Court said they expect to see an increase of petitions filed.

“Based on the first two months of 2026, we may expect to see as many as 80 petitions this year, almost twice the number of petitions filed in 2025,” court spokesperson Jessica Kellogg told San José Spotlight.

Jim Beall, a Valley Water board director who championed the expansion of mental health services during his time as a former county supervisor and state senator, said the county has a robust system that provides wraparound services.

The county has multiple specialty courts serving different populations, including a behavioral health and drug court that pairs close judicial oversight with intensive supervision and treatment in lieu of jail.

“You don’t see a lot of initial clients going into the CARE Court, because I think they’re already in the other courts,” Beall told San José Spotlight.  “We were the first (to create the behavioral health court)  and other counties have followed us. (Newsom) doesn’t understand that we already have a multitude of different types of specialty courts.”

County Executive James Williams said if Newsom is serious about helping counties accelerate the work, the governor needs to provide more sustained funding in a time when counties are facing multibillion-dollar deficits due to federal cuts.

“Progress will only be accelerated by working together to close those funding gaps and expand proven local solutions, not by reducing a complex system to a single scorecard,” Williams told San José Spotlight. “The county of Santa Clara will continue to focus on what matters most: getting people the right help at the right time, whether through CARE Court or through the robust, community-based behavioral health system that is already serving thousands of residents every year. We know our communities. We know what works. And we will keep delivering results.”

Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X.