Cheryl Canson is a lifelong San Diego resident, community leader, and tireless advocate for individuals impacted by the foster care system, mental illness, and the criminal justice system. Born into foster care and raised without her mother, who struggled with mental illness, Cheryl experienced firsthand the challenges of navigating systems that too often fail the most vulnerable. These early experiences shaped her lifelong commitment to justice, dignity, and equity.

As a mother of children with special needs, Ms. Canson again witnessed systemic failures—schools that denied critical resources and a juvenile justice system that criminalized instead of supported. These personal struggles deepened her resolve to fight for families, ensuring that individuals with special needs and mental illness receive treatment, care, and compassion rather than punishment and incarceration.

Ms. Canson is the founder of Treat MI Don’t Miss Treat MI (MI = Mental Illness), an initiative dedicated to shifting the narrative from criminalization to treatment for those with special needs and mental illness. She also launched Moms Against Torture, a campaign that advocates for the dignity and humanity of individuals with special needs caught in the criminal justice system.

Her advocacy and leadership led her to join the Commission on Police Practices, where she was appointed in May 2023. In this role, Ms. Canson uses her platform to represent voices too often silenced, ensuring that policing and oversight reflect fairness, accountability, and humanity. She takes her position seriously, seeing her vote on the Commission as a voice for the people she serves.

Across her work, Ms. Canson remains steadfast in her mission: to ensure that individuals with special needs and mental illness are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion, and that their humanity is always seen first.