Department of Social Services: C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program 2.0.

Removed a provision (former Section 18999.954(c)) that separately capped the department's own administrative expenditures at 5 percent of appropriated funds. The 5 percent cap on agreements with external entities (subsection b) remains, but the department now has no explicit statutory limit on its internal administrative spending beyond what is implied by the 10 percent implementation/administration cap in Section 18999.953(b)(1).

Document converted from amendment format (with line numbers and strikethrough markup) to final enrolled bill format. Passage dates added (Assembly August 26, 2026; Senate August 25, 2026), amendment history headers removed, and Governor approval block added.

The urgency clause ('declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately') was removed. The bill will now take effect on January 1 following enactment rather than immediately upon approval.

The required legislative vote changed from a two-thirds majority (required for urgency statutes) to a simple majority, making it easier to pass the bill in both chambers.

In Section 18999.954, the grant award deadline provision was renumbered from subdivision (d) to subdivision (c), with an empty (d) line left above it, likely a drafting correction or cleanup.

The partial amendment reference ('All matter omitted in this version of the bill appears in the bill as amended in the Assembly') was removed, and the full operative text is now included in the Senate amendment.

The bill was restructured from amending existing sections (18999.92-18999.95) into an entirely new Chapter 19.5 (Sections 18999.950-18999.955), establishing a separate 'C.R.I.S.E.S. Act 2.0' rather than extending the prior act.

Removed the prohibition on 'organizations partnered with law enforcement' as eligible grantees. The new version only excludes 'law enforcement agencies' themselves, meaning organizations that partner with or coordinate with law enforcement can now receive grants.

The deadline for awarding all grants was changed from January 1, 2027 to October 1, 2027, a nine-month delay.

Removed all specific deadlines for stakeholder workgroup operations, including the 30-day review of appointments, 45-day public solicitation for vacancies, 75-day deadline to fill vacancies and reconvene, and the 90-day vacancy fill requirement. Also removed the quarterly meeting requirement.

Added a new grantee priority criterion requiring organizations to demonstrate relationships and partnerships with stakeholders in the proposed service area, which may be evidenced by recommendations from local government entities, community organizations, service providers, or local government officials.

The stakeholder workgroup's role was softened: 'partner with the department to evaluate and make appropriate changes to criteria' became 'provide input regarding criteria,' and 'oversight' on implementation was changed to 'consultation.'

Letters of intent in the public solicitation may now include letters of support or recommendation from partners in the proposed service area, including local government entities, community organizations, service providers, or local government officials.

Added a new definition of 'local government entity' meaning a county, city, or tribe, or a department of a city, county, or tribe.

The Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems Program Fund is now described as 'reestablished' rather than 'created,' indicating it previously existed and is being reactivated.

The entire new Chapter 19.5 (C.R.I.S.E.S. Act 2.0, Sections 18999.950-18999.955) was deleted. This chapter would have established a separate second-generation pilot program with its own fund, stakeholder workgroup, and grant criteria. The bill now only amends the existing Sections 18999.92-18999.95.

The reference to the '2021 annual Budget Act' was changed to simply 'annual Budget Act,' removing the outdated year-specific reference.

An urgency clause was added declaring the bill takes effect immediately upon passage, rather than waiting until January 1 of the following year.

The public report requirement was simplified by removing language requiring 'resulting policy recommendations to provide guidance to the Legislature and Governor in fully implementing and scaling a permanent program.'

The vote requirement changed from simple majority to a two-thirds supermajority, making passage significantly harder.

State immunity from liability for activities of grantees or community-based organizations under the program was removed from Section 18999.95.

The sunset date was extended from June 30, 2026 (repeal) to June 30, 2032 (inoperative) with full repeal on January 1, 2033, giving the program roughly six additional years.

The grant award deadline in Section 18999.94(d) was changed from January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2027, aligning with the extended program timeline.

The exemption from the Public Contract Code and State Contracting Manual (and from Department of General Services approval) was removed from Section 18999.95.

The provision allowing the department to implement the chapter without taking regulatory action under the Administrative Procedure Act was removed from Section 18999.95.

The definition of 'community-based organization' was narrowed by removing 'public or' at the beginning, so it now only covers nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3) or state equivalent) or fiscally sponsored organizations, excluding public entities.

The duplicate 'Grantee' definition that covered cities, counties, and tribes was removed, leaving only the community-based organization definition as the sole eligible grantee type.

Under the existing C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program (Section 18999.93), eligible grantees changed from cities, counties, tribes, or their departments to community-based organizations only. Law enforcement agencies and organizations partnered with law enforcement remain ineligible.

New requirement that the department award 90 percent or more of grant funds directly to qualifying community-based organizations, with no more than 10 percent used for program administration by the grantee.

The existing C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program sunset is extended from June 30, 2026 (repealed January 1, 2027) to June 30, 2032 (repealed January 1, 2033). The grant award deadline in Section 18999.94(d) is changed from January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2027, with annual awards thereafter subject to appropriation.

New priority provision requiring the department to prioritize grantees proposing interventions that serve historically marginalized populations and communities with demonstrated need, as evidenced by metrics including high police use of force, high civilian complaints, high imprisonment rates, and racial profiling.

Stakeholder workgroup requirements expanded: must now meet at least quarterly; new vacancy-filling timeline (30 days to review existing appointments, 45 days to issue public solicitation, 75 days to fill vacancies); members missing three or more consecutive meetings are deemed to have vacated their seat with the department required to fill within 90 days.

New requirement that upon allocation of funding to eligible entities, the department must report to the Legislature and post publicly on its website information about which entities received grants, award numbers, and program duration.

The bill's scope expanded from creating only a new standalone chapter (C.R.I.S.E.S. Act 2.0) to also amending four existing code sections (18999.92 through 18999.95) that govern the original C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program, effectively merging both programs into a single bill.