11/26/2025
California needs a reality check on mental health & addiction
I’m throwing this out there because pretending everything is “progressing” clearly isn’t working. If California wants real change in mental health and addiction, we need to get honest about the mess we’re in.
We’ve got people cycling through ERs, psych holds, jails, tents, rehabs, sober livings, back to the streets… rinse, repeat. Families are burning out. Providers are stretched thin. And our state keeps patching bullet holes with Band-Aids.
The truth? California doesn’t need another task force, blue-ribbon panel, or feel-good press conference. We need backbone. We need structure. We need accountability. We need a system that actually treats people instead of just moving them around.
What real improvement looks like:
• Consistent funding instead of seasonal political fireworks
• Actual placement options, not waitlists that might as well be fiction
• Stronger oversight so programs deliver what they promise
• Long-term care for people who aren’t going to “get better in 30 days”
• Housing tied to treatment, not housing instead of treatment
• And honestly? A statewide expectation that everyone — communities, providers, families, and government — pull their weight
Because right now, the people suffering the most are the ones with the least voice: the mentally ill, the addicted, the families trying to hold it together. They deserve better than a system built on “we’ll figure it out later.”
If California wants change, we can’t wait for Sacramento to wake up. We as residents, voters, and communities need to push this conversation harder. Demand smarter policies. Support programs that work. Call out the ones that don’t. And stop pretending short-term fixes are long-term solutions.
We’re overdue. Let’s step up.