Since launching in 2022, over 1.5 million Californians have called or texted the 988 crisis lifeline for support. 988 is one critical part of a comprehensive crisis response system that California has invested in through Assembly Bill 988 (Bauer-Kahan)—building a system that ensures there is someone to call, someone to come, and somewhere to go. But as implementation has moved forward, several challenges have emerged that cannot be solved administratively alone. A recent nbcbayarea article highlights one of those challenges: 988-911 interoperability. Part of AB 988 included developing a system for easily transferring callers between 911 and 988. However, the project is over two years behind, and without these systems, we risk having an unnecessary law enforcement response to a behavioral health crisis. The article, featuring our Director of Government Affairs Tara Gamboa Eastman, digs into why the project has fallen so far behind and what's at stake if it doesn't get back on track....