California Legislative Updates
CSAP’s New Board Vice Chair
Dr. Emily Wood (SCPS) was recently selected to be the Vice-Chair of CSAP's Board. Congratulations Emily! Upon her selection, Emily wanted to say to you all, "As physicians, especially psychiatrists, we are afforded great privilege to both witness and alleviate suffering in our community. Our professional strength comes through supporting [...]
Governor Newsom Signs Child Safety Chatbot, Social Media Legislation
Governor Newsom was joined by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and legislators to sign a suite of bipartisan legislation strengthening California’s nation-leading protections for children online and when using artificial intelligence (AI). The new laws strengthen safeguards for companion chatbots, prohibit social media platforms from offering addictive features to users [...]
2025-26 Legislative Session Adjourned
The California Legislature adjourned Tuesday, concluding its work for the 2025–26 Legislative Session. Lawmakers will return to Sacramento on Monday, December 7, for an organizational session marking the start of the 2027–28 Legislative Session, before recessing until Monday, January 4, 2027. With the Legislature’s work complete, attention now turns to [...]
SB 820 and the Human Cost of Delayed Treatment
This week, we are pleased to feature an article from Dr. Reba Bindra, a board-certified psychiatrist with extensive experience treating individuals with serious mental illness in correctional settings. In The Price of a Shopping Cart, Dr. Bindra examines the real-world consequences of delays in implementing SB 820 (which CSAP successfully sponsored last year) and [...]
Legislation
AB 2405: The perpetual conversation around patient “dumping” at various hospitals is again taking place in the State Capitol, this time through AB 2405 (Gipson). As is in print, AB 2405 would require a peace officer who is transporting a person who is a danger to themselves or others to a [...]
Legislation
On Thursday, August 13, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees met to dispense with their Suspense Calendars, the process for sending to the Floor or holding bills with significant fiscal impacts to the state. As noted in the last newsletter, this year was expected to see increased scrutiny of higher-cost [...]