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.
Sacramento, CA [June 1, 2026] – Following the release of 2026-27 budget proposals from both the California State Senate in recent weeks and the California State Assembly today, the Steinberg Institute applauds both chambers for prioritizing funding for mobile crisis services—recognizing the essential role these teams play in California’s behavioral health crisis response system.
Both the Senate and Assembly proposals utilize the 988 State Suicide and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund to sustain mobile crisis teams. In contrast, the Governor’s May Revision Budget proposes making the mobile crisis benefit optional when federal funding expires in 2027—placing up to $200 million on counties to maintain their programs. By dedicating funding specifically to mobile crisis, the Senate and Assembly proposals avoid the elimination of this critical benefit.
We specifically support the Assembly’s approach, released today, which directs 988 funding to mobile crisis teams that are connected to and dispatched through 988 call centers. As lead co-sponsors of AB 988 (Bauer-Kahan), this approach aligns with the intent of AB 988, which envisioned a behavioral health crisis continuum with someone to call, someone to come, and somewhere to go. The Assembly’s proposal advances that vision by both preserving access to mobile crisis teams and making them accessible through the 988 system.
“We thank both the Senate and Assembly for recognizing the importance of maintaining California’s mobile crisis response teams. As leadership works toward a final budget agreement, we urge legislative leaders and the Governor to adopt the Assembly’s framework to maintain the integrity of the 988 State Suicide and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund.”
Tara Gamboa-Eastman
Director of Government Affairs, Steinberg Institute
Building a connected, sustainable crisis continuum of care
While we support the Legislature’s commitment to sustaining mobile crisis teams, these services are only one component of California’s broader crisis system. 988 call centers are the front doors to the entire crisis response system—but they remain underfunded and understaffed. California’s in-state answer rate for phone calls is approximately 83%. But for text and chat, answer rates remain dramatically lower, under 40%. Both below the national key performance indicators.
It is crucial to the success of our broader continuum of care that call centers have the resources to answer calls, connect individuals to care, and coordinate crisis response. Otherwise, individuals in crisis will not be able to access the responsive, community-based care they need.
As demand for crisis response care continues to grow, we urge the Legislature and administration to conduct ongoing evaluation of the fund’s long-term capacity to support both crisis centers and mobile crisis services.
The Steinberg Institute served as the lead co-sponsor of AB 988 (Bauer-Kahan), which established California’s 988 State Suicide and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund and envisioned a comprehensive behavioral health crisis continuum with someone to call, someone to come, and somewhere to go.
The Senate and Assembly are required to pass a budget bill for the 2026-27 fiscal year on or before Monday, June 15, 2026. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.