SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Steinberg Institute has released its yearly progress report alongside “Vision 2030,” an ambitious plan to transform California’s mental health and substance use care systems.
The Vision 2030 plan centers on four measurable goals: strengthening the behavioral health workforce, reducing homelessness, decreasing incarceration, and lowering the number of people admitted to emergency departments due to behavioral health crises.
To advance these goals, the Institute convened its first-ever Vision 2030 Symposium, bringing together leaders from across California.
The symposium hosted nearly 200 participants, including health officials, justice reform advocates, and policymakers, to discuss solutions and accountability.
“Nearly 200 leaders from across sectors gathered to engage in urgent, solution-driven conversations, moving beyond rhetoric to action,” the report states.
These efforts continued through the Institute’s “Ideas to Action” convening series, which targeted Vision 2030 goals such as workforce development and homelessness reduction.
The progress report highlights one series that brought together rural county leaders to address their unique challenges and develop strategies for serving their communities. The Institute emphasized that collaboration across California sectors is essential for success.
In addition to convenings, the Institute spotlighted individual contributions to Vision 2030 through its Champions program.
Each May, during Mental Health Awareness Month, the Institute recognizes Californians who improve lives in their communities by providing mental health support and reducing stigma.
“Each Champion’s story and work advances at least one of our Vision 2030 goals,” the report explains.
The Institute also introduced the Richard Van Horn Award in 2025 to honor leadership in behavioral health advocacy.
Vision 2030 builds not only on community engagement but also on years of legislative and policy advocacy, including Proposition 1, CalAIM, and the 988 crisis line.
Though these reforms remain important, the Institute noted that California’s significant budget deficit and reduced federal support have created challenges for behavioral health initiatives.
“With resources scarce, investments won are at risk, and it will be more difficult to secure new but desperately needed funds,” the Institute warns.
The report also details the 2024 release of the Institute’s largest legislative package to date, which sponsored six bills and supported dozens more. More than half of the supported bills were signed into law, while all opposed bills failed in the Legislature.
Among the highlighted bills was AB 1907, designed to improve accountability and better serve foster youth, a population with a higher risk of homelessness and justice system involvement.
In 2025, the Institute focused its advocacy efforts on two sponsored bills.
SB 319, authored by Sen. Angelique Ashby, aimed to create an accountability framework for Proposition 36 to track treatment outcomes and reduce recidivism. While the bill stalled, the Institute reports that key elements of its goals were included in the state budget.
The second bill, AB 348, introduced by Assemblymember Maggy Krell, sought to establish presumptive eligibility for behavioral health services so providers could “enroll that person right away and start the services that matter,” ensuring faster access for individuals with serious mental illness.
The Institute also adopted a new “defensive advocacy” strategy—its first time opposing legislation that could undermine mental health reform.
“We have defeated every bill that we have opposed, including bills that would have undermined Proposition 1 or directly targeted people experiencing homelessness,” the report states.
The Institute’s report further outlines efforts to strengthen partnerships between behavioral health and criminal justice sectors.
In response to Proposition 36, which created treatment-mandated felonies for certain drug crimes, the Institute created more than a dozen advocacy groups to generate policy and budget recommendations.
These efforts resulted in securing $50 million for substance use treatment across California and required outcome reporting—described by the Institute as a major step forward for accountability.
The Institute also continues to prioritize research to expand the behavioral health workforce and reduce the number of people affected by the criminal justice system.
Its various projects aim to ensure proper treatment for individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders, deepen understanding of behavioral health, and improve workforce standards.
To maximize research impact, the Institute detailed partnerships to implement its goals. Collaborations include iFoster to expand behavioral health career pathways, county leaders to support transformational change, and other organizations to accelerate progress.
In closing, the Institute acknowledged challenges posed by funding cuts and declining federal partnership.
Despite these obstacles, the report reaffirmed California’s commitment to strengthening its behavioral health care systems and ensuring access to essential resources.
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