The Assembly’s 2026-27 budget plan, released today, allocates $125 million from the 988 State Suicide and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund to fund mobile crisis teams dispatched through 988 centers.
The Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) represents a large portion of the state’s funding for mental health and substance use programs. The May Revision leverages BHSA funding in an attempt to balance the budget that directly impacts California’s behavioral health systems—both in terms of funding and access. Here’s exactly how the May Revision proposes redistributing BHSA funding and what this could mean for California’s behavioral health landscape.
The May Budget revision appears to maintain the January budget proposal to make mobile crisis programs an optional benefit, putting the future of these critical crisis services at risk.
This special interview series with California Governor candidates examines how candidates would address homelessness, mental health care access, addiction, and public safety.
The first 2026 Steinberg Institute Champion is Michael Mason. As Section Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department Community Paramedicine Division, Chief Mason is rewriting the script for mental health and substance use crisis response in California.
This policy brief identifies 988 outcomes measures that move beyond operational call center metrics and measure people-focused outcomes, efficiencies in connecting individuals to care, and more.
The Leadership in Action Award is a new honor created by the Steinberg Institute to recognize leaders who exemplify the goals of Vision 2030—the Institute’s ambitious initiative to cut homelessness, incarceration, and hospitalization for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders by 50 percent across California. Dr. Ghaly is the first recipient of the award.
In less than 24 hours, the federal government reversed course and reinstated previously terminated SAMHSA grants. While the initial disruption should never have happened, this moment shows the impact of collective action and the importance of continued vigilance to safeguard these life-saving programs.
On January 13, the federal government abruptly terminated Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants that support community-based mental health and substance use disorder services across the country—threatening California’s hard-fought progress to improve mental health and substance use care.
When enhanced federal Medicaid funding expires in 2027, mobile crisis response may become an optional benefit—shifting costs to counties and putting service continuity at risk across California. Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2026-27 budget, released today, reflects a continued […]