California Gov. Gavin Newsom was in San Diego Thursday, rallying support for Proposition 1 ahead of Tuesday's primary election.
The state ballot measure includes $6.38 billion in bonds aimed at expanding mental health treatment and addiction services and turning hotels and motels into housing for people experiencing homelessness in the state. It would also change how the state spends money it receives as part of the Mental Health Services Act. State programs currently receive 5% of MHSA funds or less and counties receive 95% or more. If Prop. 1 passes the state would receive up to 10% and counties would get the rest.
Newsom said the bond would fund 11,150 new treatment beds and 26,000 outpatient beds.
“It’s about you. Everyone. Not just about those caregivers and professionals that will be supported with unprecedented workforce investments because of Proposition 1, but it’s about you,” Newsom told the crowd gathered at the at the United Domestic Workers of America/AFSCME 3930 in San Diego.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California opposes Prop. 1.
Eve Garrow, senior policy analyst at the ACLU of Southern California’s Dignity for All Project, called the measure a broken promise.
“Proposition 1 would impose a new $6.4 billion bond to primarily fund forced treatment in institutionalization. So this funding would go to inpatient locked and unlocked facilities which are really the most expensive and least effective form of mental health treatment,” Garrow said.
Prop. 1 will cause thousands of Californians to lose access to life saving mental healthcare as that funding would be put into a small number of housing opportunities for the unsheltered, she said.
“It would provide housing for only about 3% of the total number of Californians who are unhoused on any given day and that number is a small fraction of the number of Californians who become unhoused over the course of the year,” Garrow said.
