A new report shows Kern County ranks first in the state for the rate of cases filed under Proposition 36.

The Public Policy Institute of California says Kern County prosecutors filed 24 cases per 100,000 residents, making Kern the county with the highest rate of felony filings using Proposition 36. Orange County ranks Number Two with 18 cases filed per 100,000 residents.

68% of the felony cases filed under Proposition 36 in Kern County were for drug-related offenses.

Proposition 36 is known as the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act and went into effect in December 2024.