One of Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s marquee mental health programs may broaden its reach despite persistent questions about the number of people it’s helping and whether it’s achieving the goals he set out for it when it launched.

Newsom today signed a law that expands eligibility for CARE Court to include people who experience psychotic symptoms as a result of bipolar disorder. Under the law’s previous constraints, only people with schizophrenia and other limited psychotic disorders were eligible.

Newsom in a written statement called the law and its expansion an important part of his administration’s efforts to bring people with serious mental illness into treatment. 

“California doesn’t sit on the sidelines while people fall through the cracks,” he said. “We don’t stand by while people spiral on our sidewalks or cycle through emergency rooms and jail cells — we step up. We built CARE Court to connect people to treatment, dignity, and accountability — because care and accountability belong at the center of how we serve our communities.”

Newsom introduced CARE Court in 2022, creating a program that allows family members, first responders, doctors and others to petition the courts on behalf of people with severe psychosis who couldn’t care for themselves. 

Once a petition is accepted, individuals are presented with a voluntary treatment plan, which can include counseling, medication and housing. If they refuse, a judge can, in theory, order them to participate in a treatment plan.

Almost two years in, CARE Court has struggled to fulfill Newsom’s initial promises. A recent CalMatters investigation found that the program has so far reached a few hundred people, far short of the thousands originally projected. 

The new law, by Sen. Tom Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat, sailed through the Legislature with nearly unanimous bipartisan support, no votes against and just a handful of abstentions. 

“The beauty of CARE Court is that it holds both institutions and individuals accountable, ensures individuals get the care they need and gives judges a clear role in overseeing and guiding the process,” Umberg said in a written statement today. “This bill focuses on implementation by listening to and learning from counties about what’s working and what’s not, in order to meet the goals of the original CARE Court legislation.”

Read more here: CalMatters