SAN JOSE, CA — Laura’s Law is a statewide law enacted in 2002 when a clinic volunteer was shot and killed by a mentally ill man who refused treatment. It allows counties to force treatment onto persons who refuse it. The actions of one individual 17 years ago are now used as an excuse to potentially take away the civil liberties of thousands of homeless people in Santa Clara County.
San Jose Councilmembers Johnny Khamis, Raul Peralez, and Mayor Sam Liccardo are calling on the Board of Supervisors to implement Laura’s Law in Santa Clara County. They also are suggesting a conservatorship program to take over people’s finances with no say from the persons affected. Once you remove a person’s right to choose and take away their financial support they become your prisoner for as long as you wish. Mental health treatment should be voluntary and not decided by someone else. This is all just another weapon to eliminate houseless persons on the streets.
If the County has a mental health crisis, then why don’t they provide enough mental health doctors, case managers, clinicians, clinics, and beds to serve the people that are already seeking help? The state has determined that the number of psychiatric beds should be 50 beds for every 100,000 residents, but Santa Clara County only has 246 beds out of the recommended 960. If the County cannot provide beds for people voluntarily seeking treatment, why would they even consider implementing Laura’s Law?
The cruel sweeps conducted by the City of San Jose actually exacerbate the mental illness problem by moving people from one place to another with no plan to help them escape their situation. The City actually makes MORE homeless people mentally ill through its endless campaigns of harassment, criminalization, and marginalization. There is also no real representation anywhere in local government of the people they claim to be servicing. There are commissions for just about everything except for people living in poverty and in the streets.
There is a severe shortage of permanent supportive housing and an emergency has been declared by both the County and the City of San Jose. They have failed to build sufficient Extremely Low Income housing to implement the Housing First program. There aren’t anywhere near enough shelter beds available and the barriers are too many and too great to attract people to stay in them.
This is a bad law that can and will be abused to simply make people disappear.