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Budget Cuts Slash Funding for California’s Peer-Run Warm Lines

One-time state appropriations expired under Gov. Newsom’s budget, forcing operators to lay off hundreds of peer counselors, shutter language-specific lines, slash service capacity

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Overview

  • Gov. Newsom’s 2025–26 budget provided no ongoing funding for Parents Anonymous after the group requested $3 million, prompting immediate layoffs.
  • The San Francisco Peer Run Warm Line saw its state support slashed from $10 million to $5 million, forcing it to close its Spanish-speaking line and forecast an annual call volume equal to a single month this spring.
  • Orange County NAMI plans to dismiss 127 peer counselors who handled roughly 900 calls a day after their one-time funding expired.
  • Unlike the 988 crisis line and privately funded mental health apps, warm lines rely on general fund supplements that lapsed under the new budget.
  • Operators warn that without these non-crisis support services, tens of thousands of Californians will lose preventive care that has historically reduced emergency room visits and eased pressure on first responders.