City Council Office
303 West Commonwealth Avenue, Fullerton, California 92832-1775 (714) 738-6311 [email protected] www.cityoffullerton.com Mayor, Fred Jung
Mayor Pro Tem, Bruce Whitaker
Nick Dunlap
Jesús J. Silva
Ahmad Zahra
May 24, 2022
The Honorable Tom Umberg The Honorable Susan Eggman
Senate District 29 California State Senate
1021 O Street, Room 6520 1021 O Street, Suite 8530
Sacramento, CA 95814 Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: Senate Bill 1338 (Umberg and Eggman)
Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program Support
Dear Senator Umberg and Senator Eggman:
On behalf of the City of Fullerton, I want to express our support of Senate Bill 1338, the CARE Court proposal. A major priority for our City continues to be addressing our State's homelessness and mental health crisis, and I feel strongly that your legislation helps provide the support and resources needed.
CARE Court connects a person struggling with untreated mental illness and often substance use challenges with a court-ordered Care Plan for up to 24 months. Each plan is managed by a care team in the community and can include clinically prescribed, individual ized interventions with several supportive services, medication, and a housing plan. The client-centered approach also includes a public defender and supporter to help make self -directed care decisions in addition to their full clinical team, as well as op portunities for early engagement and settlement agreements for treatment plans.
CARE Court is designed on the evidence that many people can stabilize, begin healing, and exit homelessness in less restrictive, community-based care settings. This is a long-term strategy to positively impact the individual in care and the comm unity around them. The plan advances an upstream diversion from more restrictive conservatorships or incarceration.
The City of Fullerton supports this legislation, and in particular ad vocates for funding to be directed through the County of Orange, as it would bolster many of the local mental health and substance abuse initiatives Orange County is leading.
Thank you again for your leadership, determination, and hard work on this critical policy topic.
Sincerely,
Fred Jung
Mayor
cc: Fullerton City Council
City Manager Eric Levitt