State bridges and overpasses: suicide prevention.

Assembly Member Ramos, together with coauthors Alanis and Senator Rubio, advances a planning-focused measure to address suicide risk on state bridges and overpasses by requiring Caltrans to identify best practices for countermeasures by July 1, 2028, with input from local jurisdictions and health experts. The measure emphasizes a process-oriented approach rather than prescribing specific interventions.

Key mechanisms and details: Caltrans must identify best practices for implementing suicide countermeasures by the deadline and evaluate appropriate design features and deterrent measures, considering feedback from local jurisdictions and other stakeholders. Any countermeasures identified as appropriate would be determined by Caltrans. The department must consult with the State Department of Public Health, behavioral health experts, and other relevant parties, and the section states that it does not impose a mandatory duty under a government liability provision. The measure does not repeal or amend the existing obligation to install screening on state freeway overpasses; it creates no funding appropriation and imposes no enforcement mechanism beyond standard administrative processes, and it sets no interim reporting requirements beyond ongoing consultation.

Broader context and implications: The measure adds a planning and consultation framework to suicide prevention on state infrastructure, in line with existing screening obligations while not mandating immediate action or funding. By design, it could influence future capital decisions or regulatory changes depending on identified best practices and stakeholder input, with roles for Caltrans, the Public Health Department, local jurisdictions, and health experts. The liability provision referenced in the measure provides a specific limitation, while the text does not address liability in other contexts or under other provisions.