Funding for Recovery Support Services Including Substance Use Treatment

March 6, 2026

The Honorable John Laird
Chair, Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
California State Senate
1020 N. Street, Room 502
Sacramento, CA 95814
 

The Honorable Roger Niello
Vice Chair, Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
California State Senate
1020 N. Street, Room 502
Sacramento, CA 95814
 

Re: Funding for Recovery Support Services Including Substance Use Treatment
 

Dear Chair Laird and Vice Chair Niello:
 

Over the last several years, state policy for justice-involved individuals has evolved to provide for more targeted interventions to reduce recidivism. For these new policies to be effective, we must fund all aspects of the system that support these changes.

Following the release of the Governor's Budget, we recognize that the State is facing significant fiscal challenges. Last year, the enacted budget included funding to both plan and provide for treatment opportunities for individuals who become justice-involved. However, it did not include funding to address the full system responses needed to help ensure that treatment and incarceration, when accompanied by supervision, can increase the chances of successful rehabilitation. Absent real consequences to break entrenched cycles, recovery support services cannot maximize treatment success.

Counties are being asked to manage increasingly complex cases that require structured treatment, increased supervision, monitoring, and physical detention. Local detention facilities often serve as the first opportunity to provide intentional substance abuse treatment and care. Those brought into custody often present with significant substance use and medical needs and require elevated levels of medical and mental health services. These services in turn require a significant amount of resources. Successfully completing substance use disorder treatment is difficult for all who face the challenge. Treatment without accountability does not work – accountability for taking advantage of the second chances the law provides and accountability to the community when they fail to stop offending does. If the system is not funded to make good on the consequences of failing to work a treatment plan, we break the public safety promise to the community while failing those gripped by a cycle of reoffending.

Investment is important to help local jails and probation departments maintain public safety and reduce future involvement in the justice system.

As local government budgets buckle under growing pressures from both state and federal budget constraints, we need to provide state funding to ensure people can access and complete treatment without having to defund other critical law enforcement responses. Based upon preliminary caseload estimates, we believe $400 million will provide the statewide system responses needed to fulfill the new law requirements and will be able to build upon previously funded investments in treatment and court services. These investments will be necessary to expand service capacity, secure appropriate in-custody treatment, and allow for individualized planning, monitoring, and supervision for those in our communities. Counties must have the resources to stabilize and scale the system to maximize these programs to meet immediate demand.

The individuals needing treatment and/or custodial intervention often present with complex needs that require structured support, supervision, and coordinated oversight. Funding these supports now will allow local governments to build on existing infrastructure and ensure treatment-based approaches deliver meaningful, measurable results and real services.

We urge your support for dedicated funding to ensure counties have the resources necessary to carry out this critical work.
 

Sincerely,

Catherine Blakespear, California State Senate, 38th District

Susan Rubio, California State Senate, 22nd District

Tom Umberg, California State Senate, 34th District