Senate Bill (SB) 1338's Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Court will potentially save money for taxpayers and businesses, as well as curb smash and grab incidents, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
“We support the concept of giving people a combination of diversion and rehabilitation as well as getting the homeless and others off the street,” said John Kabateck, NFIB’s California state director. “We don't know necessarily that CARE Court is the cure for everything that we're facing but we do see it as a step in the direction of giving people some care and treatment.”
SB 1338, sponsored by Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Anaheim) and Sen. Susan Eggman (D-Stockton), will provide Californians suffering from untreated schizophrenia, spectrum, or other psychotic disorders with community-based treatment services and housing. It was unanimously approved by the California Senate on May 25.
“We’ll see how this plays out,” Kabateck told the Southern California Record. “We hope CARE court is successful. We want to be supportive where we can and this is one area that blends accountability with rehabilitation.”
Human Rights Watch (HRW), which opposes the legislation, argues that SB 1338 allows a wide range of actors to make referrals to the jurisdiction of the courts without an arrest or hospitalization.
"The bill creates a new pathway for government officials and family members to place people under state control and take away their autonomy and liberty," wrote HRW Senior Advocate Olivia Ensign in an April 12 letter to Umberg and Eggman. "It seems aimed at facilitating removing unhoused people from public view without actually providing housing and services that will help to resolve homelessness."
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal includes some $65 million to kickstart CARE Court and $39 million is earmarked to support Judiciary Conduct CARE court hearings.
“Small business owners face it day in and day out as they see vandalism and crimes committed in front of their businesses due to the homeless population,” Kabateck said. “We also have to blend that with compassion and recognize that many of these people need help. So, we think this is a good step.”
NFIB was among the businesses that endorsed Care Court along with the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Downtown Association, the California Retailers Association, and 20 other chambers of commerce.
“At the end of the day, people on the left and the right need to work together to determine the best solutions,” Kabateck added.