Senate passes SB 1373 to narrow mental‑health diversion for serious crimes

Senators voted to pass SB 1373, a bill that narrows eligibility for California's mental‑health diversion program in cases involving serious violent crimes and restores broader judicial discretion.

Author Senator Grove said the 2018 diversion law was deployed without sufficient guardrails and cited multiple cases he said show the law has been misused, arguing victims have been left without recourse. "This program was built without sufficient guardrails, and it's opened the door for violent repeat offenders to avoid accountability and return to our communities without oversight," Grove said.

Coauthor Senator Rubio said the bill "strengthens California's mental health diversion process while prioritizing public safety and accountability in our communities," emphasizing that diversion should remain available for those with legitimate treatment needs but not for those who pose significant risk. Senator Ottigan, chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, urged support and described the measure as balancing treatment access with consideration of violent criminal history.

Sponsors and supporters told colleagues the bill excludes certain offenses from diversion, including crimes that involve death or serious harm to children and other violent acts. Grove said the bill "restores full judicial discretion" and aims to prevent defendants who pose a public‑safety threat from avoiding traditional prosecution.

The Senate applied the roll call and recorded Ayes 32, Nos 0. The bill's proponents said the change will allow courts to deny diversion for defendants whose histories indicate a significant risk.

The next step for SB 1373 is enrollment and any subsequent steps required before implementation.