While California is investing in a range of strategies for responding to behavioral health crises, in many instances law enforcement is still the first to respond to such situations. Public Policy Institute of California takes a look at these interactions and finds large differences across the state in the share of police encounters where officers perceive mental health conditions, disabilities, and/or place someone on a psychiatric hold. The Oakland Police Department was found to report considerably higher shares of behavioral health conditions than police departments in other cities such as San Diego and San Jose. Read more from the report: https://www.ppic.org/blog/a-closer-look-at-behavioral-health-crises-and-police-responses/ (fb)

“When people are allowed to move forward and thrive, we are all safer,” Tinisch Hollins, executive director of our grant partner Californians for Safety and Justice. ICYMI: Last month hundreds of people gathered in Compton for a re-entry resource fair and free expungement clinic that provided legal assistance to reduce or erase past convictions. https://davisvanguard.org/2025/04/reentry-resource-fair-housing/ #secondchance (fb)