After a 12-year journey, Laura’s Law is now the law in San Francisco. The bill, pushed by District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell, passed the Board of Supervisors July 8 by a 9–2 vote.
The law was adopted in Sacramento back in 2002 but not implemented in San Francisco until now. It allows court-ordered mental health treatment for people with serious mental illness, a history of psychiatric hospitalizations, jailings, or threats.
The law “is not a panacea for mental health treatment here in San Francisco, but another tool in the tool box for our city to help those suffering from a clinically identified severe mental illness,” said Farrell. “Most important, Laura’s Law will provide appropriate treatment services for our most vulnerable residents, reduce hospitalization and incarceration rates, and improve public safety for our residents and visitors.”
