Adrienne Shilton 🌈

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This year’s theme, “Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together,” reflects our shared commitment to culturally responsive care for all children, youth, and families. #AAPIHeritageMonth #PowerInUnity

A recent story is highlighting the real-world impact of Mobile Crisis Response Teams, and the results speak for themselves. CA Alliance member Pacific Clinics is featured in the piece, with crisis services leaders making the case for why this work must be protected. San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez put it plainly: "This has been transformational for law enforcement." Mobile crisis teams keep people in crisis connected to clinical care instead of emergency rooms or jail cells. They reduce pressure on law enforcement. They show up where people are, whether that is a home, a school, or a street corner. Right now, Governor Newsom's budget proposes shifting mobile crisis response from a required Medi-Cal benefit to an optional one, putting the cost burden on counties. Health leaders across California are urging him to reconsider. Read the full story: sfgate.com/news/bayarea/a… @PacificClinics @SFGate @SDSheriff

Keynote announcement: We are thrilled to welcome Dee Hankins to Stronger Together 2026. After 18 years in the foster care system, Dee became a cycle breaker. His keynote brings lived experience, hard-won perspective, and a message about rising after trauma that will resonate deeply with everyone in this field. Dee's keynote will open the conference with a perspective that makes everything that follows feel more urgent and more meaningful. 80 sessions. 5 tracks. Three days to take what you hear and turn it into something real when you get back home. Early bird pricing for the 2026 California Child and Family Services Conference closes in just a few days. If you have been waiting to register, this is your sign. web.cvent.com/event/72a12e0b…

More than 35,000 children are in California's foster care system, the most of any state in the US. How the state funds the facilities serving them matters enormously. Five USC Price School of Public Policy students partnered with the CA Alliance to analyze California's upcoming Tiered Rate Structure, and their findings raise important questions about financial stability, assessment accuracy, and what happens to vulnerable youth if providers are forced to close. We are grateful for the thoughtful work of Joselle Escobar, Itzel Whyte-Aguayo, Heejin Cho, Devyani Ramamoorthy, and Kailyn Wilkerson, and proud that their partnership with us earned USC Price's top practicum honor. Young people engaging this seriously with child welfare policy gives us hope. Read their full story: priceschool.usc.edu/news/californi… @USCPrice

"We must protect and expand mobile crisis response. It saves lives, it keeps families together, and it is the standard of care our communities deserve." -- Mae Sampani, Executive Director of Pacific Clinics Statewide Crisis Services Today at the Protect Mobile Crisis press conference, Mae Sampani made clear what is at stake. Pacific Clinics' mobile crisis teams serve 100 to 150 children and families each month across California, and 70 percent of those individuals are diverted from hospitalization through these interventions. This is what a compassionate, clinical response to crisis looks like. The CA Alliance is proud to stand alongside Pacific Clinics and all of our coalition partners in the fight to protect mobile crisis funding and services statewide. @pacificclinics

Today, on California Nonprofits Day, we celebrate CA Alliance member The Whole Child, named a 2026 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco (District 64). Thank you to CalNonprofits for recognizing The Whole Child's dedication to supporting children and families across California. Learn more and see the full list of honorees: calnonprofits.org/nonprofit-of-t… #CaliforniaNonprofitsDay #NonprofitOfTheYear @TheWholeChildCA @AsmPacheco @calnonprofits

Today, on California Nonprofits Day, we celebrate CA Alliance member Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), named a 2026 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens (District 26). Thank you to @CalNonprofits for honoring AACI's commitment to community health and well-being. Learn more and see the full list of honorees: calnonprofits.org/nonprofit-of-t… #CaliforniaNonprofitsDay #NonprofitOfTheYear @AsmAhrens

Today, on California Nonprofits Day, we celebrate CA Alliance member Community Solutions, named a 2026 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (District 28). Thank you to CalNonprofits for honoring the impact Community Solutions has made across the communities it serves. Learn more and see the full list of honorees: calnonprofits.org/nonprofit-of-t… #CaliforniaNonprofitsDay #NonprofitOfTheYear @AsmGailPellerin @CalNonprofits

Today, on California Nonprofits Day, we celebrate CA Alliance member Children's Health Council, named a 2026 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Marc Berman (District 23). Thank you to CalNonprofits for recognizing the important work Children's Health Council does every day for children and families. Well deserved. Learn more and see the full list of honorees: calnonprofits.org/nonprofit-of-t… #CaliforniaNonprofitsDay #NonprofitOfTheYear @AsmMarcBerman @CalNonprofits

Five Days. That is all the time left to register for Stronger Together 2026 at the early bird rate. After May 25, the best available pricing for California's largest gathering of child and family welfare professionals is gone. The people and organizations doing the most important work in this field will be in Anaheim on August 31, and the time to make sure you are one of them is right now. 80+ sessions. Five tracks. CE credits across 8 licensure types. 800+ professionals from every county in California. A program built for every role on your team, from the frontline to the executive suite. Lock in the early bird rate before May 25 and book your room at the same time. The hotel sold out last year. Do not let logistics be the reason you miss this. web.cvent.com/event/72a12e0b…

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This year’s theme, “Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together,” reflects our shared commitment to culturally responsive care for all children, youth, and families. #AAPIHeritageMonth #PowerInUnity

Mental and behavioral health is the largest unmet need for children in foster care. This month, we recognize providers across California delivering trauma-informed services that help young people heal and thrive. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #MentalHealth

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This year’s theme, “More Good Days, Together,” is a reminder that mental health is a community responsibility. For children and youth in foster care, access to quality behavioral health services is essential. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #MoreGoodDays

AB 1540 cleared the Assembly Appropriations suspense file yesterday and is moving forward. This bill would restore the 988 Press 3 LGBTQ+ Youth Crisis Hotline, which was eliminated by the federal administration in July 2025, cutting off specialized, affirming crisis support for young people who need it most. LGBTQ+ youth face disproportionately high rates of suicidal ideation and crisis. Before the line was cut, the subnetwork received 73,000 calls from California in a single year. AB 1540 would bring that lifeline back. Thank you to Assemblymember Mark González for authoring this bill, and to our co-sponsors Equality California and Sacramento LGBTQ+ Center for their partnership in pushing this important bill forward. The CA Alliance is proud to sponsor AB 1540. LGBTQ+ youth in California deserve access to care that sees and supports them. @AsmMarkGonzalez @eqca

AB 1626 passed the Assembly floor unanimously yesterday and is headed to the Senate. This bill will require mental health and substance use disorder training for high school coaches and create a statewide model training program for youth sports coaches. Coaches are often the first adults to notice when a young person is struggling, and this bill gives them the tools to act on it. Thank you to Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel for authoring this legislation, and to our co-sponsors Mental Health America of California, Play Equity Fund, and California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls for helping move this forward. The CA Alliance is proud to co-sponsor AB 1626. On to the Senate. @AsmJesseGabriel @MentalHealthAm @CCSWG @PlayEquityFund

The CA Alliance has released a statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom May Revision budget proposal, where we are calling on state leaders to reject devastating cuts to mobile crisis response, 988 services, and support for vulnerable youth and immigrant families. These proposed reductions would mean fewer mental health supports, more youth displaced from foster homes, and more Californians left without the care they need, but Gov. Newsom still has the opportunity to cement his legacy for youth and families by investing in the community-based organizations that keep children, families, and communities safe and supported. Read our full statement here: cacfs.org/news/governor-…

Yesterday, the CA Alliance was proud to appear before the Senate Rules Committee in support of three outstanding appointees to the State Board of Education: Cynthia Glover Woods, Brenda Lewis, and Gabriela Orozco Gonzalez. Our Legislative and Administrative Associate, Trevor Nelson, represented the CA Alliance at the hearing. He shared: "We believe these three appointees have all students in mind when considering education policy in this state." These are Governor appointees who bring a wealth of experience and genuine compassion to their roles. We are excited to see the work they will do on behalf of California's students.

Yesterday's joint oversight hearing on AB 988 closed with powerful remarks from Assemblymember James Ramos. A longtime champion for Native American communities and youth, Asm. Ramos spoke directly to what is at stake when the state fails to resource crisis care in Indian Country. "Native Americans are outpacing any other groups in the state of California when it comes to risks of suicide, mental health, and substance abuse, but yet where are the resources?" "Indian Country knows how to fix its own problems. Indian Country just needs to have that voice to get the resources that are there and adequate funding." The CA Alliance thanks Assemblymember Ramos for his long record of advocacy on behalf of Native American youth and families, and for reminding everyone in that room why this work matters. Full funding for 988 call centers is not just a budget line. It is a commitment to every young person who picks up the phone. #988Lifeline #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth Watch his full remarks - cacfs.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/IQDqjfrU… @AsmJamesRamos

Thank you @ByRobinEpley !!!!

May is National Foster Care Month. Across California, foster family agencies and residential providers are working every day to ensure children and youth in care have the safety, stability, and support they deserve. #NationalFosterCareMonth #FosterCare