California's Expanded Conservatorship Law Yields Few New Cases
CalMatters reports that California's SB 43, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023 to broaden involuntary treatment criteria under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, has produced little increase in conservatorships three years after passage. Data obtained from the state's 25 most populous counties shows most reported no significant rise in one-year mental health conservatorships comparing pre-implementation counts to current figures, with Santa Barbara County's count actually dropping 1% since July 2025. County officials cite improved voluntary services diverting people from forced conservatorship and a mismatch between the law's addiction-treatment goals and the existing mental health conservatorship framework. Some counties delayed implementation until January 2026, so full effects may not yet be visible, and officials say the law has still improved addiction treatment access for people already under conservatorship or involuntary psychiatric holds.