(SACRAMENTO) – On the first day of the 2025-26 Legislative Session, Senator Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced SB 28 to execute the mandate of Proposition 36 by ensuring that Californians eligible for “treatment-mandated felonies” have access to treatment and that these programs are effective in addressing addiction. 

“Proposition 36 addresses the desperate need to reinstate and revitalize drug courts,” said Senator Umberg. “Treatment courts and rehabilitation pathways – once shining examples of the promise of redemption in California – have been languishing or disappearing. Proposition 36 is a mandate to reinstate these tools to address addiction and crime related to addiction.”

SB 28 – The Proposition 36 Treatment Court Implementation Act – provides that defendants charged with treatment-mandated felonies attend treatment court instead of incarceration in all counties and requires that those courts follow best practices. Treatment courts, also known as ‘Collaborative Courts’, have a proven record of reducing recidivism and rehabilitating defendants. Currently, a patchwork of treatment courts exists varying wildly from county to county – with some counties having no treatment courts. To address this issue, in light of Proposition 36, SB 28 will require treatment courts to be available to all eligible defendants and for courts to use best practices that result in the most positive outcomes for defendants and their families.

Senator Umberg, a former federal prosecutor and Deputy Drug Czar, previously introduced SB 44 (2022), also known as Alexandra’s Law, to crack down on fentanyl distribution and SB 910 (2024), which established treatment court standards for the State of California and was signed by the Governor this year.

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Senator Thomas Umberg is the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and represents the 34th Senate District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, Orange, Placentia, and Santa Ana in Orange County as well as South and East Whittier in Los Angeles County. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former federal prosecutor. He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.