SACRAMENTO, CA — California State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) last week introduced Senate Bill 28 on the first day of the 2025-26 Legislative Session to allow, said the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a proper execution of Proposition 36.
SB 28 was authored by Umberg (D-Santa Ana) to ensure “Californians eligible for ‘treatment-mandated felonies’ have access to treatment programs that are effective in addressing addiction,” according to a statement by Umberg’s office.
Sen. Umberg added, Prop. 36 “is a mandate to reinstate these tools to address addiction and crime related to addiction.”
SB 28, said Umberg, is to be known as the “Proposition 36 Treatment Court Implementation Act” and serves to provide those charged with “treatment-mandated felonies” the right to attend treatment court instead of incarceration.
“Treatment courts, also known as ‘Collaborative Courts,’ have a proven record of reducing recidivism and rehabilitating defendants,” the Umberg statement detailed, adding, “Currently, a patchwork of treatment courts exists varying wildly from county to county – with some counties having no treatment courts.”
“Prop 36 addresses the desperate need to reinstate and revitalize drug courts,” said Sen. Umberg. “Treatment courts and rehabilitation pathways – once shining examples of the promise of redemption in California – have been languishing or disappearing.”
Sen. Umberg already established state treatment court standards with the introduction of SB 44 (also known as Alexandria’s Law) in 2022 that was signed into effect by Gov. Newsom in 2024 this year, the senator’s office reported.
Now Sen. Umberg plans to “address” the new issue of further standardizing access.
“In light of Prop 36,” the Umberg press release stated, “SB 28 will require treatment courts to be available to all eligible defendants and for courts to use best practices that result in the most positive outcomes for defendants and their families.”
