{"id":357280,"date":"2025-12-19T03:24:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T03:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/357280\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T03:24:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T03:24:09","slug":"what-people-inside-have-to-say-about-new-ca-mental-health-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/357280\/","title":{"rendered":"What people inside have to say about new CA mental health court"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Marisa Kendall<\/a> and Jocelyn Wiener<\/a>, CalMatters<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\""A\"
\n\t\t\t\tIllustration by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters<\/p>\n

This story was originally published by CalMatters<\/a>. Sign up<\/a> for their newsletters.<\/p>\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom two years ago launched a new program called CARE Court <\/a>that gave hope to families struggling with severe mental illness.<\/p>\n

It promised to provide treatment and housing through court-supervised plans that would keep difficult-to-help individuals on track.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We spent much of the past year talking with dozens of people who\u2019ve interacted with CARE Court<\/a> as participants, petitioners and as employees trying to fulfill the program\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a sampling of their experiences.<\/p>\n

\""A\"June Dudas sits outside the San Diego Superior Court in San Diego on Nov. 17, 2025. Dudas delivered a victim statement on behalf of her aunt at the sentencing hearing of her cousin Edward, whom the family twice sought to enroll in the CARE Court program but were denied. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters<\/p>\n

‘I felt so defeated’<\/p>\n

Last summer, June Dudas was in church when she got a text message from her 84-year-old aunt: \u201cHe\u2019s here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dudas called back, and, in a whisper, her aunt said she\u2019d locked herself in the bathroom to hide from her son, Ed, who was outside her San Diego home. It was an all-too familiar situation. Over the years, Dudas had helped her aunt fortify her fence, install multiple security cameras and file restraining orders. It was an effort to protect her from a man who, when not gripped by psychosis, was a \u201cgentle giant\u201d who loved animals and made jewelry out of gemstones \u2013 but, when at the mercy of his delusions, could turn violent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This time, Dudas told her aunt, she had a new solution. She had just learned about CARE Court, which she\u2019d heard could compel people into treatment. Dudas\u2019 aunt quickly submitted a CARE Court petition on her son\u2019s behalf.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But when the CARE Court team offered Ed help, he refused, according to Dudas. Saying there was nothing more they could do, a judge dismissed his case.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt so defeated for my cousin,\u201d Dudas said. \u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018OK, Eddy, they\u2019re saying that when you\u2019re well enough to understand how sick you are, then they\u2019re ready to help you, but until then you\u2019re on your own, buddy, and there\u2019s nothing they\u2019re going to do for you.\u2019 And it just struck me as very callous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dudas\u2019 aunt tried again with a second petition in October. That one was dismissed as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, Ed is in jail for violating his mother\u2019s restraining order. Dudas worries that when he gets out, which likely will be early next year, her family will be back where they started: With her and her aunt living in fear, and Ed still not getting the help he needs.<\/p>\n

\""A\"J.M., who prefers to use his initials for privacy, looks out at the San Francisco Bay at Jack London Square, where he walks almost daily for exercise and because he enjoys looking at the water, in Oakland on Dec. 1, 2025. JM received housing support through CARE Court and now lives within walking distance of Jack London. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters\/Catchlight<\/p>\n

‘Life’s treating me pretty good’<\/p>\n

When outreach workers found J.M. in February, he was sleeping on some blankets under an awning in Oakland. He didn\u2019t have a tent, despite the winter cold, and he couldn\u2019t walk due to a foot injury. He wore multiple pairs of pants and socks in an effort to compress his foot and relieve the pain and swelling.<\/p>\n

J.M., who had been homeless for several years, asked CalMatters to refer to him using his initials, to protect his privacy.<\/p>\n

At first, the county sent J.M. to a psychiatric hospital on a temporary hold. He received treatment for his foot and for his mental health, but said it was frustrating to have no choice in the matter. He found the facility depressing and didn\u2019t like the food.<\/p>\n

When he was discharged, CARE Court got him a room in a hotel in downtown Oakland that was converted into temporary housing for clients who need mental health services.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, J.M. regularly walks the half mile from the hotel to the waterfront at Jack London Square, where he sits and watches the water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He wants to go back to school and get his GED diploma. He dropped out of high school in ninth grade, and he\u2019d like to find a tutor to help him with his reading, spelling and vocabulary \u2013 areas he\u2019s always struggled with. He\u2019s looking for work, and trying to quit smoking cigarettes.<\/p>\n

“It’s been pretty good,\u201d J.M. said. \u201cLife’s treating me pretty good.”<\/p>\n

\""A\"Mary Peters at her home in Riverside, on Nov. 19, 2025. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters<\/p>\n

‘They were so caring’<\/p>\n

CARE Court has been a lifeline for 64-year-old Mary Peters of Riverside. Until then, Peters was navigating her younger sister\u2019s mental illness all on her own.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to her sister, Peters was helping to take care of their father, who had dementia. Meanwhile, her sister bounced in and out of the hospital and homelessness. Sometimes, Peters didn\u2019t know where she was or how to find her. Even if she suspected her sister was hospitalized, hospital staff often wouldn\u2019t give her any information, citing patient privacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Peters filed a CARE Court petition on her sister\u2019s behalf in October 2023, and all of that changed. Suddenly, she had people to help her. The CARE Court team tracked down her sister when Peters\u2019 couldn\u2019t, and got her into a sober living facility. When her sister didn\u2019t like that facility, they helped her move somewhere else, Peters said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the CARE team, it would have been impossible for me to do this,\u201d Peters said. \u201cThere were times when I wanted to give up. There were days when you just kind of throw your hands up, if someone is feeling so hopeless and you\u2019re doing everything you can to try to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peters\u2019 sister graduated from CARE Court earlier this year, in a small courtroom celebration with cupcakes. Now, she lives in her own apartment in Riverside.<\/p>\n

Her sister still has her ups and downs, but she seems more clearheaded now, she reconnected with her two adult sons, and she feels less hopeless, Peters said. And she credits CARE Court.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were so patient,\u201d Peters said. \u201cThey were so caring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""A\"Antonio Hernandez at his apartment complex in Bakersfield on Nov. 19, 2025. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters\/CatchLight Local<\/p>\n

‘My sister that I used to know …’<\/p>\n

Antonio Hernandez first learned about CARE Court when he saw a flyer that his older sister brought home after being discharged from a treatment facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so excited about this CARE Court,\u201d he said. \u201cOh my gosh, that\u2019s exactly what we need.\u201d<\/p>\n

His sister, who has schizophrenia, was stable then, taking medication and talking about getting a job.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hernandez filed a petition for his sister to enter CARE Court in Kern County. The county\u2019s CARE Court process was rife with delays and extensions, her brother said. In the meantime, he said, his sister was left in limbo and began decompensating.<\/p>\n

Eventually, she was evicted from a Bakersfield room and board and transferred to a sober living home, he said. Six months after he first petitioned, he said, his sister signed the CARE agreement. That same day, she was kicked out of the sober living facility, too.<\/p>\n

She became homeless, camping in the park and talking to herself, he said. She stopped taking her medication.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be at your worst for them to help,\u201d he said. \u201cIt kind of makes no sense. They expect you to be at your worst to be accepted. At the same time, they expect autonomy from patients to make their own decisions when they\u2019re at their worst.\u201d<\/p>\n

He worries about the irreversible damage being done to his sister\u2019s brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister that I used to know, I\u2019ll no longer get to have that sister anymore because of their failure, their negligence, and their inability to follow through with what the law states,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\""A\"C.M., who prefers to not use her full name, sits in her bedroom at a transitional home provided through CARE Court after receiving treatment for schizophrenia in Oakland on Dec. 1, 2025. She now lives in a single-occupancy room and is preparing to begin classes at Chabot College in January. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters\/Catchlight<\/p>\n

A life-changing program<\/p>\n

C.M., 55, was on the verge of homelessness when CARE Court stepped in last January.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In her 40s, she\u2019d started experiencing bouts of psychosis when she was under extreme stress, with terrifying symptoms that included hearing cruel voices or feeling like her body was being shocked with electricity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In her 50s, she lost her construction management job because of one of those episodes, and struggled to pay the rent on her San Leandro apartment. Her disability benefits were about $1,600 a month, but her rent was $1,750. She drove for Lyft to try to close the gap, but then her Lyft app started glitching, she said. She knew she couldn’t pay her bills, and the stress sent her spiralling into another episode of psychosis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In January 2025, one of the EMTs on San Leandro\u2019s mental health crisis response team saw that she needed help, and filed a CARE Court petition on her behalf.<\/p>\n

Now, C.M. has her own room on the first floor of an old Victorian house in West Oakland, with a window overlooking a yard and a giant agave plant. She\u2019s taped photos of her two adult sons as little boys to one of the walls, next to a printed-out list titled \u201ccoping skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI literally didn\u2019t spend any time on the streets after I got evicted, because of CARE Court,\u201d said C.M., who asked to be referred to by her initials out of fear that being associated with schizophrenia would hurt her chances of getting a job.<\/p>\n

She can live there rent-free while her caseworkers help her find permanent housing. That stability is important for anyone, but it\u2019s particularly life-changing for C.M., as financial stress and the fear of homelessness are psychological triggers that can launch her back into psychosis.<\/p>\n

Now, C.M. is looking toward the future. She\u2019s starting school for construction management next year, and hopes to find another job in the industry. But there\u2019s some uncertainty there as well. C.M. is set to graduate from CARE Court in April, and as that date fast approaches, she\u2019s still not sure where her next housing placement will be.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\""A\"Anita Fisher at her home in Spring Valley on Nov. 17, 2025. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters<\/p>\n

‘This is what families have to endure’<\/p>\n

At first, Anita Fisher was an enthusiastic advocate for CARE Court. She met with Gov. Newsom to discuss it. She appeared on 60 Minutes talking about how the program was a promising tool to help people with serious mental illness.<\/p>\n

At the time, her own son, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, was doing well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of her last words in the 60 Minutes interview?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope he will never have to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then her son stopped his medication and ended up in a mental health crisis.<\/p>\n

Fisher\u2019s petition for CARE Court in San Diego County was accepted. But, soon, her son was arrested. Then he was discharged to the streets. At one point, he went missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you imagine having to wonder if your son is alive or dead for three weeks?\u201d she said. \u201cThis is what families have to endure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her son, who she describes as a sweet, docile man, had been an Army medic with an impeccable record until his illness popped up at the age of 21. Now he kept going to jail.<\/p>\n

Two years after she first petitioned CARE Court to get him help, she has nothing positive to say about the program she once lauded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at it as a total failure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This story was produced jointly by CalMatters & CatchLight as part of our mental health initiative<\/a>. It was reported with support from the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on CalMatters<\/a> and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives<\/a> license.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Marisa Kendall and Jocelyn Wiener, CalMatters Illustration by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters This story was originally published by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357281,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[3805,2013,97,252,259,260,7155],"class_list":{"0":"post-357280","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-bay-area","9":"tag-gavin-newsom","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-health-care","12":"tag-mental-health","13":"tag-mentalhealth","14":"tag-san-diego"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/357281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}