CA AB118

Establishes the Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems (C.R.I.S.E.S.) Grant Pilot Program administered by the State Department of Social Services to fund community-based alternatives to law enforcement for emergency response.

Requires grantees (cities, counties, tribes, or their departments) to receive minimum annual awards of $250,000 and distribute at least 90% of funds to qualified community-based organizations that provide crisis response services without law enforcement officers as first responders.

Prioritizes funding for interventions serving historically marginalized populations and communities with high police use of force, civilian complaints, imprisonment rates, or racial profiling.

Creates a stakeholder workgroup including emergency medical practitioners, public health professionals, crisis survivors, police brutality survivors, and family members of those harmed by law enforcement to advise on program implementation and data collection.

Establishes the Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems Program Fund, caps administrative costs at 5% of appropriated funds, requires all grants to be awarded by January 1, 2023, and automatically repeals the program on June 30, 2026.