Good News for the Most Ill on Our Streets

Every day, we see vulnerable individuals suffering on our streets in Santa Barbara County with the most severe mental illness and substance-use disorders. On October 10, Governor Newsom signed landmark legislation (Senate Bill 43) that will provide a legal avenue to treatment for those too ill to provide for their personal safety or necessary medical care. Following decades of advocacy by mental-health activists, the California legislature approved the “Grave Disability” bill by a vote of 115 to zero. Now, our county must implement it. Thank you to all those who never gave up supporting this life-saving legislation.