SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mayor Todd Gloria and other state elected leaders Tuesday applauded Gov. Gavin Newsom for signing Senate Bill 43, which is intended to modernize California's mental health conservatorship laws.
"With today's signing of Senate Bill 43, Gov. Gavin Newsom once again demonstrated his steadfast commitment to meaningfully addressing California's mental health and addiction crises," Gloria said. "SB 43 will help us reach a small, but very visible, segment of our homeless population who up until now have been allowed to languish on the streets, often dying alone and forgotten by society. SB 43 will save lives."
Under the previous law, mental health conservatorships can be used only when a person is a danger to themselves or others, or cannot provide for their food, shelter or clothing.
SB 43 -- which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2024, expands eligibility for conservatorship to situations where people cannot manage their medical care or personal safety. It also adds substance-use disorders in addition to mental illness as an applicable condition, according to Gloria's office.
"California is undertaking a major overhaul of our mental health system," Newsom said. "The mental health crisis affects us all, and people who need the most help have been too often overlooked. We are working to ensure no one falls through the cracks, and that people get the help they need and the respect they deserve."
The California Big City Mayors, a coalition of mayors from the state's 13 largest cities, supported the signing of the bill.
Here are other bills the governor has signed so far and Newsom has until Oct. 14 to act on all legislation that lawmakers have sent to his desk.
Signed
Cosmetics chemicals
According to CalMatters, A new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom will ban more than two dozen ingredients from cosmetics and other personal care products in California — and most likely the rest of the nation.
The ingredients — which can raise the risk of burns, cancer, birth defects, reproductive problems and more — are among 1,600 that already have been banned in the European Union, but not in the United States. So California is taking the lead among the states in trying to make personal care products safer.
Chemicals in food and drinks
California on Saturday became the first state to ban four chemicals used in well-known candies and other foods and drinks because of their link to certain health problems.
Newsom signed a law banning the red dye No. 3 chemical used as food coloring for products like Peeps, the marshmallow treat most associated with Easter. The chemical has been linked to cancer and has been banned from makeup for more than 30 years.
The law also bans brominated vegetable oil, which is used in some store brand sodas, and potassium bromate and propylparaben, two chemicals used in baked goods.
Student financial aid
According to CalMatters, to qualify for financial aid, students must maintain a certain grade-point-average, but many don’t. A bill Gov. Newsom signed into law would make it easier for students to keep their aid and stay in college.
Firefighters’ mental health
A bill that would expand workers’ compensation coverage for California first responders experiencing post traumatic stress — aimed at addressing what Cal Fire officials call a mental health crisis - was signed by Newsom. Here's more information from CalMatters.
Excited Delirium
The governor signed a bill banning the use of Excited Delirium to justify and defend in-custody deaths. On October 9, Gov. Newsom signed Assembly Bill 360 into law outlawing the controversial condition that has been used in at least 15 in-custody deaths in San Diego County as well as the deaths of George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Daniel Pride, and hundreds of others nationwide.
Right to Repair
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Right to Repair Act on Tuesday, which will soon make it easier for California residents to repair cell phones and other electronic devices. Californians will be able to access information, manuals and parts that they couldn't get their hands on before.
Vetoed
Foster kids’ money
According to CalMatters, Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill preventing California counties from taking benefits, such as Social Security checks, from orphaned or disabled children in their custody, to pay for their foster care.
The veto disappointed children’s advocates who have pushed for California to instead save those benefits for children to access when they’re adults.
It also defies a nationwide trend. Increasingly, states led by Republicans and Democrats are stopping their child welfare agencies from the decades-old practice of essentially reimbursing themselves for providing foster care by cashing in certain children’s Social Security checks.
Free condoms for high school students
California Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected a bill on Sunday that would have made free condoms available all public high school students, arguing it was too expensive for a state with a budget deficit of more than $30 billion.
California had about 1.9 million high school students enrolled in more than 4,000 schools last year, according to the California Department of Education.
Newsom said programs increasing access to condoms are “important to supporting improved adolescent sexual health.” But he said this bill was one of several measures lawmakers passed this year that, when added together, would add $19 billion in costs to the state budget.
Psychedelic mushrooms
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill aimed at decriminalizing the possession and personal use of several hallucinogens, including psychedelic mushrooms.
The legislation vetoed Saturday would have allowed those 21 and older to possess psilocybin, the hallucinogenic component in what's known as psychedelic mushrooms. It also would have covered dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and mescaline.
Newsom, a Democrat who championed legalizing cannabis in 2016, said in a statement Saturday that more needs to be done before California decriminalizes the hallucinogens.
Watch Related: State bill could prevent government from pocketing money owed to foster care children (Sep 22, 2023)