The Honorable Aisha Wahab Senate Housing Committee 1021 O Street, Room 3330 Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support for Senate Bill 492 (Menjivar)
Dear Chair,
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is pleased to support Senate Bill 492 (Menjivar) the Youth Housing Bond Act of 2025, legislation that would issue bonds for the purpose of developing local youth centers and youth housing.
CAYEN is a youth-led statewide network comprised of youth action teams and a youth advisory board which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental and behavioral health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. As many TAY continue to experience homelessness and barriers to mental and substance use services and supports, CAYEN stands committed to advocating for these vital community-based resources.
Stable housing is one of many social determinants of health that have lifelong impacts on one’s health and wellness. With over 9,000 unaccompanied youth in California currently experiencing homelessness, there is an immediate need to provide targeted housing interventions for TAY.[1] Furthermore, county prevention funds under the Behavioral Health Services Act (2024) have been eliminated. Counties no longer have designated prevention funding to invest in, develop and sustain youth centers, a behavioral health prevention strategy that meets youth where they are to offer voluntary supports and services to address their mental and substance use challenges.
The Youth Housing Bond Act of 2025 helps address the housing insecurity TAY face and increases access to vital community-based services and support. It is for those reasons that CAYEN supports SB 492 (Menjivar) and asks for your “Aye” vote. If you have any questions, or if CAYEN can provide assistance on this bill or any other legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at dthirakul@mhac.org.
Sincerely,
Danny Thirakul California Youth Empowerment Network Public Policy Coordinator
The Honorable Al Muratsuchi Chair, Assembly Education Committee California State Assembly 1020 N Street, Room 159 Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: OPPOSE AB 68 (Essayli)
Dear Assemblymember Maratsuchi,
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) respectfully opposes Assembly Bill 68 (Essayli), a bill that would require an armed resource officer on all school campuses.
CAYEN is a youth-led statewide network comprised of youth action teams and a youth advisory board which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental and behavioral health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. Since CAYEN’s inception in 2006, CAYEN has taken many forms of action to empower TAY in their personal lives and spark progressive local and statewide change in public policy. On the Margins, our current youth action team in Sonoma County, is currently working on removing school resource officers off campuses and reallocating those funds to support youth mental and behavioral health services.
Armed resource officers are not a mental or behavioral health intervention strategy. They fail to provide meaningful mental or behavioral health support to youth, diverting critical funding from programs and services that are better equipped to address behavioral challenges. In addition, school disciplinary measures disproportionately impact youth of color, specifically Black and Latin(x) youth. The use of armed school resources officers would expose the same population to elevated risks of experiencing a violent and potentially deadly altercation.[1] Investments into wellness centers, peer support, and other prevention services provide better outcomes that resources officers, especially armed ones, cannot accomplish.
It is for those reasons that CAYEN must oppose this legislation and ask for your “no” vote. If you have any questions, or if CAYEN can provide assistance on this bill or any other legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at dthirakul@mhac.org.
Sincerely,
Danny Thirakul California Youth Empowerment Network Public Policy Coordinator
The Honorable Mia Bonta Chair, Assembly Health Committee 1020 N Street, Room 390 Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: OPPOSE AB 20 (DeMaio)
Dear Chair Bonta,
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) respectfully opposes Assembly Bill 20 (DeMaio), a bill that would repeal and end the Housing First model. Housing First is a policy that addresses homelessness by addressing an individual’s primary social determinant of health, stable housing. This approach prioritizes housing regardless of an individual’s substance use, treatment history, or engagement in services. By providing permanent supportive housing for unhoused individuals, it ensures they have the foundation needed to address other determinants, leading to long-term positive health outcomes.
CAYEN is a youth-led statewide network comprised of youth action teams and a youth advisory board which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental and behavioral health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. This includes advocating for housing supports for the over 9,000 unaccompanied unhoused youth in California.[1]
The Housing First model is successful in reducing homelessness because it recognizes housing as a foundational support in someone’s health and wellness journey. When asked about their thoughts on ending Housing First, CAYEN Board member Caleb Merril, 24, explained that “The stability that housing provided, gave me the space to breathe and begin to see what I could achieve. Without that opportunity, I wouldn’t have been able to truly focus on my recovery and build the foundation I needed to grow. Housing First works because it treats housing as a right, not something conditional on being ‘ready’. Everyone deserves the chance to find stability and safety, and dismantling this model would deny countless people the opportunity to heal and thrive, just as I have.”
It is for those reasons that CAYEN must oppose this legislation and ask for your “no” vote. If you have any questions, or if CAYEN can provide assistance on this bill or any other legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at dthirakul@mhac.org.
Sincerely,
Danny Thirakul California Youth Empowerment Network Public Policy Coordinator
The Honorable Gavin Newsom Governor, State of California 1021 O Street, Suite 9000 Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Act Now to Help Save Over 9,700 Foster Children from Being Displaced by the FFA Insurance Crisis
Dear Governor Newsom:
On behalf of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services (the CA Alliance), and the undersigned organizations, we request the Governor and its Administration to lead in finding a solution to prevent over 9,700 foster children under the care of Foster Family Agencies (FFAs) from being displaced by the FFA insurance crisis. If we don’t act now, FFAs could be forced to close their doors, leading to foster children potentially being uprooted from their home, school, community, healthcare provider, social worker, and current placements. We ask the Governor’s Office and Administration to work in collaboration with the CA Alliance to find solutions tothe FFAs insurance crisis so they can continue to support parents working towards reunification, foster families, and the over 9,700 foster youth under their care.
Background on the CA Alliance & FFAs The CA Alliance is a member association that represents over 160 nonprofit community-based organizations that provide behavioral health, child welfare, education, prevention, juvenile justice and other critical services to children, youth and families in public systems, including FFAs. Many of these services are provided through contracts with county public agencies and/or health plans.
FFAs play a crucial role in helping the Administration achieve its goals to reform the child welfare system. Counties rely on FFAs to help support the needs of foster children because FFAs specialize in serving medically fragile children, LGBTQ+ youth, older foster youth and children with higher needs. FFAs are trained to care for youth who have experienced abuse, exploitation, poverty, and racism and can offer services that counties do not have the capacity to provide.
There are nearly 45,000 children and youth in the California foster care system, the vast majority of whom have been separated from their parents due to neglect or abuse. Today, approximately 9,700 of those children are placed under the care of FFAs, which is nearly 1 in 5 foster youth. FFAs help to support family reunification efforts, which aim to safely return children in foster care to their biological families whenever possible and appropriate. This means FFAs work closely with birth families and offer parenting classes, substance abuse counseling, mental health services, and other resources designed to help parents or relatives create a safe and stable home environment. FFAs also assist with transporting and supervising visits between foster children and their relatives, which could be a few hours away.
When reunification is not possible, FFAs work to recruit foster parents and help them get certified to host foster children. FFAs also help to train foster families, and cover training expenses, so these families can properly support high-risk placements and ensure foster parents are well-prepared to handle the complexities of fostering. FFAs provide 24/7 on call assistance and help connect foster parents to social workers in moments of crisis, many times helping the family stabilize so they can continue offering foster children a safe home.
FFA Insurance Crisis FFAs must be insured to be contracted to accept children and youth into their foster homes. Most insurers have left the market and no longer insure FFAs. A single insurance company, Nonprofits Insurance Alliance of California (NIAC) currently covers about 90% of all the FFAs in California. In June of this year, NIAC made the shocking announcement that it will be sending out notices of nonrenewal for coverages for all FFAs in the state of California.
This is forcing most FFAs to find alternative insurance, if it can be found, and if the FFA can afford the potential increased costs of a different insurance policy. These increased costs are not covered by the rates paid to FFAs, and therefore result in FFAs making difficult decisions, and in some cases, forcing them to close.
Impact of FFA Closures to the Child Welfare System FFAs closing would result in California’s county welfare agencies needing to manage the placements of displaced foster children and youth. For foster children, being uprooted after finally settling into a family home is a devastating setback. It means starting from scratch in another new home, starting over with therapists and support specialists, even having to start a new school mid-year. Worse, it means losing their sense of stability. Multiple research studies show that the loss of a social worker alone can significantly disrupts the permanency process and severs yet another bond in a foster child’s life: with each loss of a social worker, the rate of achieving permanency for a foster youth drops dramatically from 74.5% with one social worker to less than 3% with three or more social workers. 1 FFAs help to create consistency in the lives of foster children.
If FFAs close, the lost capacity will mean that foster children will have a greater chance of being in unlicensed settings for long periods of time such as welcome centers, offices, hotels, and could even become homeless.
Action Needed to Prevent Displacing over 9,700 Foster Children This crisis will not only impact the provision of FFAs that place children and youth with foster families, but also impact adoptions of children in foster care. FFAs who are dually licensed as adoption agencies are often contracted by counties to help children be adopted through foster care. In 2024, 30% of foster youth (6,505) were adopted out of foster care statewide, thanks in part to FFAs. We ask that the Governor’s Administration to work with the CA Alliance and FFAs to find solutions that help FFAs remain open, such as creating a pool offunds to help FFAs offset the higher insurance premiums and build a risk pool to avoid a future insurance crisis.
Should you require any additional information or documentation to process this change, please do not hesitate to contact Elizabeth Oseguera at eoseguera@cacfs.org. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
The Honorable Henry Stern California State Senate 1021 O Street, Suite 7710 Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support SB 1504 (Stern)
Dear Senator Stern,
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is pleased to support SB 1504 (Stern). This legislation expands the Cyberbullying Protection Act to safeguard all minors, increases penalties for social media companies that fail to comply with the bill’s mandate, and establishes a more robust reporting mechanism.
CAYEN is a youth-led statewide network comprised of TAY Action Teams and CAYEN Board members which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. Since CAYEN’s inception in 2006, CAYEN has taken many forms of action to empower TAY in their personal lives and spark progressive change in public policy.
We are fortunate to work with our TAY Action Team at the Koreatown Youth+ Community Center in Los Angeles, a non-profit organization located in Koreatown within Los Angeles County whose mission is to serve both the Korean American population in the greater LA area and the multiethnic Koreatown community. Our TAY Action Team was established after a group of TAY came together and shared similar mental health issues stemming from experiencing or witnessing bullying throughout their middle and high school experiences. This led to the team yearning to meet the mental health needs of TAY across the Los Angeles Unified School District and the state by being the forefront of their communities with their bullying prevention efforts through a restorative justice lens. Below, we have gathered testimony from our TAY to talk about the harm of cyberbullying and the role of social media companies. We have removed their name to protect their identity.
“Cyberbullying is a huge problem because it could have serious consequences to a person’s mental health and mindset such as decreased self-esteem, suicidal thoughts or behaviors, increased anxiety, and many more. I never had a problem with cyberbullying, but I see many people who experienced that caused themselves to isolate from everyone. I did have a similar problem with bullying that made me have less confidence.” Youth, 15 Years Old
“I’ve had personal experience with cyber bullying such as having things exposed that I didn’t want to be exposed and it did impact me mentally it made me anxious around certain people so I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone else. Social media companies have the power to prevent things like cyber bullying from happening in the first place so if it’s going on within their platform and they’re not doing anything about it, they are responsible.” – Youth, 16 Years Old
“From what I’ve seen in social media companies, they usually would put minimal effort in preventing cyber bullying such as an age limit to access the app and a report button to where you can report a comment made towards you. What social media companies should do is make it easier to report people and take it seriously when reviewed. I feel as if social media companies don’t talk about cyberbullying to where everyone has an understanding in what happens during cyberbullying and how to get out or resolve the situation.” – Youth, 15 Years Old
“I have witnessed the grotesque behavior of some users on apps like TikTok. I can only imagine the mental detriment it could have on the user receiving such messages. Social media companies should instill stricter measures to ensure that accounts who are active, solely to spread hateful comments, do not have access to platforms.” Youth, 23 Years old
Current California law is simply inadequate to the task of requiring platforms to operate with a minimum of responsiveness and respect to those who are cyberbullied. Please prioritize the needs of young people by voting for SB 1504 (Stern). If you have any questions, or if CAYEN can provide assistance on this bill or any other behavioral health legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at dthirakul@mhac.org.
Sincerely,
Danny Thirakul Public Policy Coordinator California Youth Empowerment Network
Honorable Gavin Newsom Governor, State of California 1021 O Street, 9th Floor Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 1353 (Wahab) Youth Bill of Rights – SUPPORT
Dear Governor Newsom:
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is pleased to support SB 1353 (Wahab) which adds the right for youth in juvenile facilities to receive adequate, appropriate, and timely behavioral health services.
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is a youth-led statewide network comprised of TAY Action Teams and CAYEN Board members which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. Since CAYEN’s inception in 2006, CAYEN has taken many forms of action to empower TAY in their personal lives and spark progressive change in public policy. We recognize the importance for every youth to have access to appropriate mental and behavioral health services and are committed to expanding access to all youth especially those who are justice involved.
We do not want to see youth in the juvenile justice system continue to stay incarcerated as adults. We believe in rehabilitation through quality behavioral supportive services leading to their return to their community feeling more connected and more likely to thrive as a productive member of society.
According to a study by Tucker and Palomino (2018), the average annual cost of a justice involved youth in a county juvenile hall in California was $285,700. Meanwhile, the Justice Policy Institute finds that community-based programs providing individualized services for youth based on their needs (as an alternative to incarceration) can cost under $30,000 annually per youth. The cost of keeping a child in the county juvenile halls for longer than they need to be is more than if they were rehabilitated and ready to rejoin their community after receiving timely access to mental health services while under the juvenile justice system.
Ensuring access to behavioral health resources for justice-involved youth is crucial for their development of healthy coping skills to manage stressful situations in their lives. This support reduces their likelihood of reoffending and returning to the juvenile justice system by equipping them to handle unfavorable circumstances more effectively. Incarcerated youth with mental health challenges need to feel empowered and ready to overcome obstacles by applying the skills they learn from behavioral health services.
A 2017 literature review from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention points to a number of relevant analyses and studies. The review suggests that upwards of 70 percent of youth engaged with the juvenile justice system also have a diagnosable mental health problem. This same review points to a 2010 multisite study that indicates 30 percent of juvenile justice youth met the criteria for disruptive behavior disorders. They also cite a 2017 analysis that found “externalizing disorders were significantly related to recidivism.”
If preventing recidivism is a desired outcome for detained and incarcerated youth, then addressing behavioral health must be a key part of the solution. For these reasons we support SB 1353 (Wahab) and respectfully request your signature. If CAYEN can be of any assistance please feel free to reach out to our Public Policy Coordinator, Dany Thirakul, at dthirakul@mhac.org.
In Community,
Danny Thirakul Public Policy Coordinator California Youth Empowerment Network
The Honorable Mia Bonta Chair, Assembly Health Committee 1020 N Street, Room 390 Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: AB 3221 (Pellerin) – SUPPORT
Dear Chair Bonta:
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is writing to express our support of AB 3221 (Pellerin) which will allow the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) to take enforcement action more swiftly and more efficiently when health plans violate the law.
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is a youth-led statewide network comprised of TAY Action Teams and CAYEN Board members which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. Since CAYEN’s inception in 2006, CAYEN has taken many forms of action to empower TAY in their personal lives and spark progressive change in public policy. One such way is to change our environment and the systems in which we operate, as they inadvertently and sometimes intentionally hinder TAY from accessing the services and supports they require and desire.
Too often, consumers, especially our youth, don’t receive the behavioral health care they need—and that they have paid for—in the timely and appropriate manner they are entitled to under the law. California has been at the forefront of passing groundbreaking behavioral health parity (SB 855) and timely access laws (SB 221), which could alleviate this crisis if the Department of Managed Health Care were empowered to take faster, stronger, and more efficient action.
Under The Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan of 1975, health care service plans are required to keep their books, records and papers open for inspection by the DMHC director. DMHC is required to conduct periodic on-site medical surveys, publicly report results, and issue final reports after public review. They must also conduct follow-up reviews to evaluate a health plan’s efforts to correct deficiencies. But several of the provisions are outdated, ineffective, or both. Records are not provided electronically, which delays and costs the department, and penalties are not required for failure to provide full records promptly. Additionally, when DMHC seeks approval for actions on behalf of consumers, they are required to go to Superior Court, which is overburdening and less efficient than administrative law judges.
AB 3221 will allow DMHC to request that health plan records be furnished electronically, making those records faster to receive and easier to review. It will allow DMHC to seek relief on patients’ behalf through an administrative hearing rather than the slower and more burdensome Superior Court hearing process and empower DMHC’s director to take disciplinary action when a health plan fails to respond to a request for records fully or in a timely manner.
These common-sense changes will allow DMHC to take important enforcement actions more quickly and efficiently, improving compliance with the groundbreaking behavioral health parity and timely access laws California recently enacted. For these reasons, we support AB 3221 (Pellerin), and we respectfully request an “AYE” vote. If you have any questions, or if CAYEN can provide any assistance on this bill or any other behavioral health legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at dthirakul@mhac.org.
The Honorable James C. Ramos State Assembly 1021 O Street, Suite 8310 Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: Support for AB 2711 (Ramos)
Dear Assemblymember Ramos:
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is pleased to sponsor AB 2711 (Ramos), legislation aimed at implementing a public health strategy to assist youth with substance use needs. This legislation prioritizes keeping youth engaged in their education, establishes a community support system, and facilitates access to behavioral health services and resources.
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is a youth-led statewide network comprised of TAY Action Teams and CAYEN Board members which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. Since CAYEN’s inception in 2006, CAYEN has taken many forms of action to empower TAY in their personal lives and spark progressive change in public policy.
The I AM Collaborative, a subprogram of CAYEN, empowers LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC TAY to advocate for substance use prevention through social change campaigns and multimedia advocacy art in Sacramento and Los Angeles. The culmination of their advocacy efforts influenced the language incorporated in AB 2711. A resounding consensus among youth emphasized the significance of integrating harm reduction strategies into our spectrum of care and enhancing accessibility to behavioral health services. The current use of suspension and expulsion to address substance use is punitive in nature and is in direct conflict with what youth are asking for.
Below you’ll see testimony from youth in our program. We have removed the youth’s name to protect their identity.
“I hope to see workshops/counseling events that directly work with individuals who suffer from a substance
use disorder. I feel that viewing their situation through a lens of empathy and care provides more help to their situation than simply punishing them for indulging in something they are not allowed to. Additionally, many of my friends who do use substances have had trouble with their families and home life, so it only makes sense
to approach their situations with compassion and hope for their healing.” – San Diego Youth, 18 years old
“My school does not discuss substance use very much or the supports in place for substance use, which does not allow students to feel safe to get support.” – San Diego Youth, 16 years old
Currently, under California Education Code §48900, school officials possess the discretion to determine whether to suspend or expel a student for drug use and/or possession on school grounds. However, a standardized protocol for offering support to youth and addressing the root causes of their substance use is lacking. Moreover, administrative discretion has resulted in a disproportionate impact on certain demographics: more than 59 percent of drug-related suspensions involve boys, over 83 percent affect socioeconomically disadvantaged students, and approximately 82 percent involve youth of color.[1] These suspensions deprive youth of valuable instructional time, thereby heightening the risk of academic disengagement, dropout, and involvement in the juvenile justice system.[2] Education policies such as these predicated on the belief that abstinence works have failed to provide the youth the proper services and supports.
AB 2711 would require schools to use a public health framework before employing suspension and expulsion policies. By implementing this approach, this bill will help stem drug use and addiction, ensuring all students receive the help they want and need, remain in school, graduate, and thrive. For these reasons, we support AB 2711. If you have any questions, or if CAYEN can provide assistance on this bill or any other behavioral health legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at dthirakul@mhac.org.
The Honorable Gavin Newsom Governor of California 1021 O Street, Suite 9000 Sacramento, CA 95814
Subject: Request for Signature: Assembly Bill 2711 (Ramos)
Dear Governor Newsom,
We, the undersigned organizations, respectfully request your signature on AB 2711 (Ramos), legislation aimed at increasing access to behavioral health services and support for youth facing substance use challenges. This bill seeks to prohibit the suspension of students who voluntarily disclose their use of a controlled substance, alcohol, or any intoxicant to seek help.
By 11th grade, nearly a quarter of California teens actively use alcohol and drugs. The substances most abused by youth are alcohol and marijuana, which have lasting harmful effects. Alcohol use during adolescence increases the likelihood of alcohol dependence in adulthood, and excessive alcohol consumption can have long-term health consequences including liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Marijuana use is linked to adverse health effects such as respiratory problems, anxiety attacks, cognitive difficulties, coordination loss, and poor academic performance.
Unfortunately, under current California Education Code, there are no protections for youth who seek help for drug use to be protected from suspensions and/or expulsions once they disclose. The California Youth Empowerment Network surveyed California youth ages 15 to 26 and found that 55% have been prevented from or punished for attempting to seek help with their alcohol, tobacco, or substance use. Among those, 43% of youth cited fear of getting in trouble or fear of classmates’ opinions as a reason for not seeking help, 42% indicated a lack of support at home or school, 14% reported their school had little to no services available, and 9% were unaware of any services at all.
By removing the consequence of suspension, we hope to encourage more students to speak to school officials about their struggles. This bill would allow students to disclose their use of a controlled substance, alcohol, or intoxicant to seek help through services or support without the fear of suspension solely for that disclosure. By implementing this approach, AB 2711 (Ramos) will help reduce drug use and addiction, ensuring all students receive the help they need, remain in school, graduate, and thrive. For these reasons, we support AB 2711 (Ramos) and ask for your signature.
Sincerely,
Danny Thirakul Public Policy Coordinator California Youth Empowerment Network
Heidi Strunk President and CEO Mental Health America of California
Karen Vicari Director of Public Policy L.I.V.E
Gregory Cramer Senior Legislative Advocate Disability Rights California
Deborah Starkey Chairperson California Behavioral Health Planning Council
Lynn Rivas Executive Director California Association for Mental Health Peer Run Organizations
Angelica Garcia-Guerrero Deputy Director of Operations Project Return Peer Support Network
Gabrielle Tilley Associate Director of Policy and Partnerships The L.A. Trust for Children’s Health
Carmen-Nicole Cox Director of Government Affairs ACLU California Action
Dana Paycao Senior Policy Coordinator National Center for Youth Law
Stacie Hiramoto Director Racial & Ethnic Mental Health Disparities Coalition
Clare Cortright Policy Director Cal Voices
Sandy Rives LEAD Coordinator Transitions Mental Health Association
Nazeehah Khan Policy Director Californians for Justice
Isabella D’Alacio Senior Policy Associate Voices for Progress
Imari S Nuyen-Kariotis President California Peer Watch
Damon Johnson Executive Director Black Men Speak, Inc.
April Smith Community Manager Resiliency in the Valley
Mira Green LEAD Coordinator Assistant Lived Experience Advocacy Development
Daniela Dominguez Founder & Chief Executive Officer On the Margins
Jose Ramos Founder/President Impulse Group/AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Steve Kang Director of External Affairs Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC)
The Honorable Josh Newman Chair, Senate Education Committee 1021 O Street, Room 6740 Sacramento, CA 95814
Subject: Co-Sponsor Support for Assembly Bill 2711 (Ramos)
Dear Senator Newman,
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is proud to co-sponsor AB 2711 (Ramos), legislation designed to increase access to behavioral health services and support for youth facing substance use challenges. This bill aims to protect students who voluntarily disclose their use of controlled substances, alcohol, or any intoxicant to seek help by prohibiting their suspension for such disclosures.
CAYEN is a youth-led, statewide network comprised of TAY Action Teams and Board members that engages, empowers, and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental health advocacy on issues directly impacting them. Since its inception in 2006, CAYEN has been at the forefront of empowering TAY in their personal lives and driving progressive change in public policy. We are committed to addressing the issue of substance use among youth and the profound impact our education system has on providing a safe and supportive environment to facilitate access to care.
By the 11th grade, nearly a quarter of California teens actively use alcohol and drugs, with alcohol and marijuana being the most commonly abused substances. The long-term effects of these substances are significant, ranging from increased risk of dependence in adulthood to serious health conditions such as liver disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cognitive difficulties.
Currently, California Education Code lacks protections for youth who seek help for substance use. Our statewide survey of California youth ages 15 to 26 revealed that 55% reported being prevented from or punished for attempting to seek help with their alcohol, tobacco, or substance use. Among those respondents, 43% cited fear of getting in trouble or being judged by classmates as a deterrent, 42% indicated a lack of support at home or school, 14% noted their school had limited or no services available, and 9% were unaware of any available services.
By removing the threat of suspension, AB 2711 (Ramos) aims to create a safer environment for students to seek assistance from school officials. This bill allows students to disclose their substance use and seek help without fear of suspension, ultimately helping to reduce drug use and addiction. Ensuring students receive the help they need will contribute to higher graduation rates and better long-term outcomes. For these reasons, we strongly support AB 2711 (Ramos). If CAYEN can assist with this bill or any other behavioral health legislation, please feel free to contact me at dthirakul@mhac.org.
