California says 6,531 petitions have been filed under its CARE Court mental health law
The governor's office says 11,912 people have been connected to services. By our comparison, the gains it cites match state data that end in June 2025.
What it means for you
- The governor's office says 6,531 petitions have been filed in 56 counties and 11,912 Californians have been linked to service providers through CARE.
- Almost 1,800 people have a CARE agreement or plan, and more than 5,381 were linked to treatment outside the court process, the office says.
- By our comparison, the housing and treatment results it cites, such as housing rising from 53% to 71% of participants, match those in a state report covering October 2023 to June 2025.
- The state's health and human services agency calls the results preliminary; an independent evaluation's first report is due to the Legislature by December 31, 2026.
- CARE is a civil court process for people with schizophrenia spectrum or similar psychotic disorders who meet strict criteria, and every participant gets a lawyer.