Santa Clara County has pushed back against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s criticism of the county’s performance under California’s CARE Court system, a state-mandated program designed to allow family members and first responders to petition the court to help treat adults with psychotic disorders.
The CARE Court Program and Numbers
At a news conference, Newsom singled out Santa Clara County as one of 10 counties not bringing enough people through the CARE Court system. Since December 2024, 53 petitions have been filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court for individuals to enter a voluntary treatment program under judicial guidance. Newsom placed Santa Clara County on a “CARE ICU” list to receive extra help, along with San Francisco and Los Angeles counties. By contrast, Alameda County, 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. “I’m just not interested in funding failure now… I’m happy to sweep every damn dollar and redirect it to folks up in Humboldt, in Alameda.”
County’s Broader Approach
County officials argued that the number of CARE Court petitions does not reflect 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.
Mental health advocate Andrew Siegler questioned the governor’s approach. “Since when did Gavin Newsom have any experience in the mental health industry?” he 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.”
Since 2022, Santa Clara County has ramped up preventive services by implementing residential treatment facilities, a behavior health navigator program, launching TRUST (a police alternative with a mental health mobile crisis program), and implementing an assisted outpatient (AOT) program. County Executive James Williams stated: “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.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.paloaltoonline.com/courts/2026/03/09/santa-clara-county-miffed-at-newsoms-care-court-criticism/