Published TUESDAY October 6, 2026: 'A FAMILY'S AGONY: How California Failed Califia Carlisle' from ZUMA represented Pulitzer winner RENEE C. BYER and investigative reporter Tom Philp at The Sacramento Bee: Laura Alicia Carlisle was born on Nov. 15, 2024, behind the Express Stop liquor store on Sacramento’s Juilliard Drive. Tests would soon show that Laura was addicted to fentanyl, just like her homeless mother, Califia Carlisle. Firefighters from a nearby station whisked mother and daughter to Mercy General Hospital in the middle of the night. The phone would soon ring at the home of Califia’s father, a stunned Christopher Carlisle, who learned he was a grandfather. Carlisle and his fiancee at the time, Anne Marie Flaherty, raced to the hospital to briefly see Laura and Califia. When they returned the next morning, Califia was gone. She had walked out of the hospital to return to a life of addiction, her schizophrenia untreated on the Sacramento streets. Her final words to a nurse as she left: 'Give the baby to my dad.' And so goes one of the great contradictions in how California oversees its most vulnerable residents. Welcome to 'A FAMILY'S AGONY: How California Failed Califia Carlisle'
© zReportage.com Issue #1057 Story of the Week: Published TUESDAY October 6, 2026: 'A FAMILY'S AGONY: How California Failed Califia Carlisle' from ZUMA represented Pulitzer winner RENEE C. BYER and investigative reporter Tom Philp at The Sacramento Bee: Laura Alicia Carlisle was born on Nov. 15, 2024, behind the Express Stop liquor store on Sacramento’s Juilliard Drive. Tests would soon show that Laura was addicted to fentanyl, just like her homeless mother, Califia Carlisle. Firefighters from a nearby station whisked mother and daughter to Mercy General Hospital in the middle of the night. The phone would soon ring at the home of Califia’s father, a stunned Christopher Carlisle, who learned he was a grandfather. Carlisle and his fiancee at the time, Anne Marie Flaherty, raced to the hospital to briefly see Laura and Califia. When they returned the next morning, Califia was gone. She had walked out of the hospital to return to a life of addiction, her schizophrenia untreated on the Sacramento streets. Her final words to a nurse as she left: 'Give the baby to my dad.' And so goes one of the great contradictions in how California oversees its most vulnerable residents. Welcome to 'A FAMILY'S AGONY: How California Failed Califia Carlisle'

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, squats on a median at the intersection of Howe Avenue and Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento, showing only two remaining front teeth as she holds a homemade sign asking for money. The sign reads, 'Homeless, hungry, anything helps. Thank you. Have a nice day.' Califia struggles with mental illness and addiction and has become the focal point of a prominent push for state-level legal reform. Due to Califia's condition, her infant daughter, Laura, was placed into foster care. Califia's father, and his wife, took the child into their home and officially adopted her.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

As tears stream down CALIFIA CARLISLE's face, her father, CHRISTOPHER CARLISLE, assures her that he is not upset with her for leaving the dentists office in Sacramento. Christopher has tried to help his daughter get medical care and housing, but unless she decides she wants help, there is little he can legally do, he said. Califia has schizophrenia and, after nearly graduating from Sacramento State, began using OxyContin after meeting a boyfriend who introduced her to the drug, which eventually led to heroin use. She has only two upper teeth remaining, both of which were damaged by methamphetamine use, and the dentist planned to remove all of her remaining teeth.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CHRISTOPHER CARLISLE, 68, who has spent 10 years trying to get his daughter, CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, off the streets, patiently talks with her, after she walked out of a dental appointment in Sacramento. Califia, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has struggled with methamphetamine addiction after using heroin earlier in her life, did not want to give up smoking and asked her father for a lighter so she could smoke afterward. Christopher wound up getting her a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and struggles with drug addiction after dropping out of Sacramento State in 2014, holds a handmade sign while asking for money at the intersection of Power Inn Road and Howe Avenue in Sacramento. Her boyfriend, Justin Hartung, said she wakes up early every morning, puts on her makeup and goes out to what she calls 'her job.'
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

A woman and toddler on a bicycle head toward the back of the Express Stop Liquors mart, where Laura Carlisle was born nearly two years earlier in the middle of the night, on Juilliard Drive in Sacramento. Califia Carlisle, who was homeless and dependent on fentanyl, gave birth to Laura on Nov. 15, 2024. Firefighters took Laura to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, where she was treated for fentanyl dependence. Califia left the hospital the next morning and returned to the streets, telling a nurse to 'give the baby to her father,' Christopher Carlisle.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

Photographs of Christopher Carlisle's daughter, Califia Carlisle, a St. Francis High School graduate, are displayed in his home in Sacramento. Carlisle said he believes his daughter, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, uses drugs to self-medicate while living on the streets, where she has been for the past 10 years.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

ANNE MARIE CARLISLE, 77, smiles with her husband, CHRISTOPHER CARLISLE, 68, in Sacramento, as she recalls the moment she photographed him holding his granddaughter, Laura, about two hours after she was born on Nov. 15, 2024. The photograph, displayed on the nursery wall, captures a moment Anne Marie and Christopher said changed their lives forever.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

ANNE MARIE CARLISLE, 77, waves to relatives watching the court proceedings via Zoom after the legal adoption of 14-month-old LAURA as her husband, CHRISTOPHER CARLISLE, 68, celebrates in Sacramento.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

LAURA CARLISLE, 19 months old, is introduced to her birth mother, Califia Carlisle, for the first time through family photographs as her adoptive parents, ANNE MARIE CARLISLE, 77, and CHRISTOPHER CARLISLE, 68, encourage her to say, 'Momma Cali.' Laura has never met Califia, who is experiencing homelessness. Christopher said Califia became homeless after graduating from St. Francis High School and meeting a boyfriend who was addicted to drugs.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

LAURA CARLISLE, 19 months old, who has never met her biological mother, smiles at home as she is raised by her biological grandfather, Christopher Carlisle, and his wife, Anne Marie Carlisle in Sacramento. Laura is the daughter of Christopher's daughter, Califia Carlisle, who has experienced homelessness for about 10 years. The Carlisles adopted Laura in March.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

Reflected in a mirror, ANNE MARIE CARLISLE lifts baby LAURA from the changing table after her afternoon nap, in Sacramento. A framed photo of Laura's birth mother, Califia Carlisle, as a baby hangs above the reflection among numerous family photos in the nursery.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CHRISTOPHER CARLISLE entertains his biological granddaughter and adopted daughter, LAURA CARLISLE, at the desk where he has been working to find help for Laura's mother, his biological daughter, Califia Carlisle in Sacramento. Califia, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and struggles with drug addiction, has lived on the streets for about 10 years. Christopher said he would like to see laws changed so Califia cannot refuse treatment and can get the medical help she needs to break the cycle of homelessness.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

LAURA CARLISLE, 19 months old, plays on a bedspread that belonged to her biological mother, Califia Carlisle, when she was a child, in Sacramento. The bedspread was made by Laura's great-grandmother, Califia's grandmother, in 1998 and has been passed down through the family.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CHRISTOPHER CARLISLE adjusts a painting hanging in his adopted daughter Laura Carlisle's room in Sacramento. The painting was made by Laura's mother and Christophers daughter, Califia Carlisle, during a painting class at McKinley Park in 2002. Califia has experienced homelessness for the past 10 years and has refused treatment for drug addiction and schizophrenia, according to her father.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, balances on a median at the intersection of Howe Avenue and Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento as her hair blows in the wake of a truck that nearly hit her. Her boyfriend, Justin Hartung, said that although she can make a lot of money, 'That intersection, its dangerous out there, and she sits on that little piece of concrete.'
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, and her boyfriend, JUSTIN HARTUNG, 39, kiss as she takes a break from what she calls her job, asking motorists for money at the intersection of Howe Avenue and Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento. Hartung says Its a hard life' living on the street and stays close to Carlisle to protect her.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

JUSTIN HARTUNG, 39, rests in the shade after carrying clothing he found in a dumpster for himself and his girlfriend, Califia Carlisle in Sacramento. The day before, their encampment was cleared, and Carlisle's backpack was stolen. The couple does not have a tent. 'There's no use, they just keep sweeping us and throwing our stuff away, offering us nowhere to go,' Hartung said.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, who struggles with drug addiction and schizophrenia, appears disoriented near her belongings at a makeshift encampment in Sacramento. She was taking a break from soliciting money and said, 'I just want to chill for a minute and then I'll get back out there.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, and her boyfriend, JUSTIN HARTUNG, 39, hug after cleaning up around their encampment, in Sacramento. Hartung said he worries about his girlfriend and does not believe she is addicted to drugs. 'I think she had maybe one point in time tried some stuff, but she's not a drug addict just like that. Like weed here and there. She doesn't drink, she smokes cigarettes, but other than that she is drug free' he said.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, decides which sign to use as she prepares to solicit money from motorists while her boyfriend, JUSTIN HARTUNG, 39, cleans up around their encampment, in Sacramento. Signs of her long-term drug use are visible along her arm.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, waits for a friend to light her pipe as she struggles with addiction near the Home Depot on Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento. 'You don't mind if I do this?' she politely asked before lighting the pipe. Her father, Christopher Carlisle, has tried to get her into treatment for the past 10 years, but unless Califia, who has also been diagnosed with schizophrenia, accepts help, there is little he can do', he said.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

JUSTIN HARTUNG, 39, carries clothing and other belongings, including a piece of strawberry cake for his girlfriend, CALIFIA CARLISLE, as she counts money collected from drivers at Howe Avenue and Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento. The day before, their encampment was cleared and Carlisle's backpack was stolen. The couple does not have a tent. 'There's no use, they just keep sweeping us and throwing our stuff away, offering us nowhere to go,' Hartung said.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

JENNA MOZDY, 38, climbs through a gap in a chain-link fence after searching abandoned buildings for her homeless friend, Califia Carlisle in Sacramento. Mozdy, who struggled with drug addiction alongside Carlisle in 2016, turned her life around and is now a certified drug treatment counselor in Santa Rosa. Carlisle, 32, is in her 10th year living on the streets.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

JENNA MOZDY, 38, right, reunites with her friend CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, left in Sacramento, after spending the morning searching for her and nearly giving up hope. Mozdy, a certified drug treatment counselor in Santa Rosa, said Carlisle taught her how to inject heroin when they were living on the streets. Mozdy asked Carlisle about her daughter, whom Carlisles father has since adopted with his wife. Carlisle said she hadn't seen her daughter but had seen pictures of her.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, right, who struggles with drug addiction and schizophrenia, hugs her friend JENNA MOZDY, 38, left, a certified drug treatment counselor in Santa Rosa. Mozdy had spent the morning searching for her homeless friend in Sacramento. Carlisle taught Mozdy how to inject heroin when the two were living on the streets.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

JENNA MOZDY, 38, is overcome with emotion as tears stream down her face after Califia Carlisle walks away following Mozdy's attempt to convince her to accept help in Sacramento. Mozdy said she felt broken. 'It's just such a reminder that it takes the whole person, like she's in there, but that's not her, ' she said through tears.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

CALIFIA CARLISLE, 32, sits on a median at the intersection of Howe Avenue and Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento, surrounded by traffic and holding a homemade sign asking for money. The sign reads, 'Homeless, hungry, anything helps. Thank you. Have a nice day.' She sits there on weekends and holidays, sometimes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire

Former Sacramento Mayor and state legislator DARRELL STEINBERG, who founded the Steinberg Institute 12 years ago, said 'addressing homelessness among people with mental illness and substance use disorders requires reciprocal legal obligations between individuals and the state', in Sacramento. 'Until we start from a place that says legally nobody lives on the street, this problem, I'm afraid, is not going to get appreciably better.'
© Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire