Dear Neighbor, 

Dana Pettaway’s son was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2019. Since then, he’s been cycling between hospitals and homelessness. 

Dana is working hard to get her son the stability and care he needs, but there just aren’t enough resources in San Diego for people who are suffering from severe mental illness and unable to seek the care they need on their own.

The CARE Act will help.

The CARE Act is a bill I sponsored with the Governor and California’s Big City Mayors for one simple reason: We must make governments accountable for helping families like the Pettaways. This new law makes counties responsible for ensuring people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders get treatment when they want it.

As of yesterday, the County of San Diego became one of seven pilot counties in the state to get an early start on implementing the CARE Act program. Now, instead of navigating the mental health treatment system on their own, families like Dana’s can work in collaboration with the County, the Superior Court, the Public Defender, legal advocacy, contracted service providers and community partners to get people suffering from severe mental illness on a treatment plan.

With implementation of the CARE Act, family members, San Diego’s first responders and homeless service workers will be able to refer people suffering from severe mental illnesses into CARE Court, taking these individuals out of the inhumane and costly cycle between hospitals, jails and the streets.

The CARE Act, along with the upcoming bond to build 10,000 new mental health beds and conservatorship reform are all tools and resources California needs to continue chipping away at our homeless and behavioral health crises.

We must continue doing more on mental health in this state, but these efforts are a significant step forward. 

As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor. 

Nurses, Mental Health Advocates Ask Governor to Sign Conservatorship Reform Bill into Law

Two mothers of sons suffering from severe mental illness share the same big worry: What will happen to their adult sons as the women age and eventually become too old to continue taking care of their kids? 

Anita Fisher and Caroline Stewart, both mothers of sons with severe mental illnesses and well-known mental health advocates in San Diego, were among those who joined me last week to urge Governor Gavin Newsom to sign Senate Bill 43, a bill currently sitting on his desk that would reform California’s outdated conservatorship laws to make it easier to get people who can’t care for themselves into treatment. 

Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, City Councilmember Dr. Jennifer Campbell, first responders and dozens of members of the United Nurses Association of California also stood with me at this rally for SB 43, united in our support of conservatorship reform.  

“We need new and concrete solutions to help those who suffer from serious mental health challenges, and SB 43 can make a difference,” said Nikky Avey, a member of the United Nurses Association of California who spoke at the rally.

This piece of legislation will help some of the people on our streets who we know are clearly caught up in a mental health crisis by allowing us to get them into treatment even if they think they don’t need it. 

SB 43 will also help people like the adult children of Anita and Caroline who are being cared for by aging parents but aren’t guaranteed care once their parents are gone. 

We must reform California’s outdated conservatorship law so we can care for these vulnerable individuals. We must get this bill signed into law, so we can get people into care and help save lives.  

Streamlining Affordable SRO Housing in San Diego 

Housing ends homelessness, which is why I’m working hard to clear barriers and incentivize the creation of new homes for San Diegans of all income levels. 

My Housing Action Package 2.0 is a series of policy amendments and reforms that work to protect existing affordable homes and encourage the construction of more.

One of those proposed policy amendments incentivizes the construction of new Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) housing. SROs are a critical source of housing that's often naturally affordable to extremely low-income people and those at risk of homelessness. This housing type often provides homes for those most vulnerable to becoming homeless and can either be a hotel guest room or a small self-contained room with a shared bathroom, kitchen and other living quarters. Rent for these rooms is often much lower than any other housing type.  

Encouraging the building of more SRO housing is just one of several policies in HAP 2.0 that will work to combat our homelessness crisis. I look forward to presenting these new housing policy reforms to the full City Council for their consideration in coming months.

Read more about this housing policy reform here. 

Securing State Funding for New High-Tech Fireboat to Help Keep San Diego Safe  

Our San Diego Fire-Rescue Department will be getting a new, high-performance fireboat to help safeguard San Diego and Mission Bay.  

Thanks to Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, we will receive $1.25 million in the state budget for this new boat, which will aid in search and rescue efforts, marina and shore fires and other essential life-saving duties.

SDFD’s Marine II, a Type 4 Fireboat that has been in service for over 30 years, will be replaced by this new fireboat, which is more agile and includes state-of-the-art technology.

The fireboat will help SDFD fulfill their mission to keep swimmers, boaters, and others safe on our waterways.

Contribute to Your Community by Joining a City Board or Commission

Serving on one of the City of San Diego’s boards and commissions gives San Diegans the opportunity to make a positive impact on their community.

These entities serve in a fiduciary, regulatory, policy-setting and/or advisory capacity, and those who step up to volunteer on them often find it a highly rewarding experience.

From serving on the City’s Commission for Arts and Culture or sitting on the Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, the work our volunteers do for our boards and commissions helps the City provide important, high-quality and equitable services to our residents.

There are currently hundreds of opportunities to serve on a City board or commission, including serving on the Board of Building Appeals and Advisors, which investigates and advises the City on the suitability of alternate materials or construction methods.

We are looking for civil engineers, structural engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, fire protection engineers, architects and other volunteers with experience in the design and construction industry and fire prevention and fire protection industries. We also need at least one person with a disability who can use their lived experience to help ensure that accessibility is always represented in these important discussions.

If you or anyone you know is interested in serving on the Board of Building Appeals and Advisors or any of the City’s boards and commissions, please apply for a position today. Help your City provide the high-quality services San Diegans deserve.

How Should the City Invest $135 Million in Federal Funds? 

How would you use money from the federal government to improve things in your neighborhood? 

We want your input on how to use $135 million in federal funding to serve and invest in communities across San Diego. You’re invited to give us that input by participating in a series of workshops or by taking an online survey. 

Your feedback will help the city identify priorities as part of the City’s Consolidated Plan, which is prepared every five years to help guide the investment of funds from three federal funding streams: the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the HOME Investment Partnerships program (HOME) and the Emergency Solutions Grants program (ESG).

The in-person workshops start today and run through Oct. 12.