SAN DIEGO — San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria led a rally Thursday morning outside City Hall, urging the governor to sign Senate Bill 43, which would change the state's conservatorship law.
Mayor Gloria said expanding the law will make it easier to get severely mentally ill and addicted people the help they need.
"We have to be able to provide a level of care for these very vulnerable individuals," Gloria said. "Because when we don’t, we know what happens. They cycle through our emergency rooms, interact with our first responders. They go to jail. I think we can all agree jail, no matter where you stand on this issue, is not an appropriate for people suffering from mental health issues."
Nurses and firefighters also gathered with the mayor, showing their support for the bill.
According to supporters, SB 43 modernizes the state's conservatorship laws, which haven't been updated in 60 years. Current law allows conservatorship to be used only when a person cannot provide for their food, shelter, or clothing.
SB 43 expands that to situations where people can't manage their medical care or personal safety. It also includes substance use disorders in addition to mental illness as an applicable condition.
Anita Fisher, a mother whose son suffers from schizophrenia, said she couldn't convince him to get care, and he didn't qualify for conservatorship because he wasn't "sick enough."
"It never gets easier watching someone you love suffer living on the streets or visiting them behind bars while they’re still in the throes of their condition," she said during Thursday's news conference. "There were times we saw him so sick in his symptoms, I would feel so distraught, that I would wonder if he was better off leaving this world."
Fisher recently shared her story with a national audience during an appearance on 60 minutes.
Betsy Brennan, President and CEO of the Downtown San Diego Partnership said crews are often attacked on the streets when trying to help unhoused individuals suffering from severe mental illness.
"They greet those attempts from us to help them, by spitting on our team, hitting us, swinging at us, spraying us with mace, attacking us with machetes and other things," she said. "They don’t, in many cases, have the mental capacity to know they are harming us."
However, critics argue SB 43 takes away an individual's civil rights and makes it easier for them to be removed from society.
The bill passed the state legislature September 14. Governor Newsom has until October 14 to sign the bill.
CBS 8 reached out to the governor's office. A spokesperson sent the following reply:
"We don’t typically comment on pending legislation. Each bill will be evaluated on its merits."