Gov. Gavin Newsom has an unusual ally on his Proposition 1 ballot measure to increase funding for mental health programs. It's a Kern County lawmaker who is an outspoken Donald Trump supporter and co-chaired the committee that led the failed 2021 gubernatorial recall effort.

State Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) voted in September to put Newsom's plan on the March 5 primary ballot.she recently I wrote an opinion article He spoke in favor of his proposal to address the state's mental health crisis and supported the California Republican Party's decision to remain neutral on Proposition 1.

“I don't often agree with the governor, to be honest,” Grove said. “But this is something that we really feel we need to do because, fundamentally, there are people on the streets who desperately need this support.”

Grove's support for Proposition 1 represents a shift in California politics. To solve the dire homelessness and mental health crisis, Republicans and Democrats are leaving their ideological corners and stepping into an unfamiliar bipartisan middle ground. In a deeply divided country, the move offers a rare glimpse of compromise on policies led by one of America's most politically polarizing figures.

Suggestion 1 It's asking voters to update California's aging mental health services system, strengthen care for drug addicts and provide more than 10,000 new treatment beds through a $6.4 billion bond. Newsom described the move as part of a “larger effort” to address some of the thorniest issues of his tenure as governor.

The bill to put this measure before voters received overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress. One of them passed unanimously in the Senate.

November poll A Public Policy Institute of California poll found that two-thirds of likely voters support the measure. The governor's “Yes on Proposition 1” campaign has received more than $10 million in donations from a variety of political actors, including Native American tribes, hospitals, firefighters, correctional officers, construction unions, and Uber.

Newsom said the rare bipartisanship was a response to “universal grievances.”

“When it comes to mental health and behavioral health issues, broadly defined as substance abuse, they affect everyone in very personal, deep and consequential ways,” he said in a recent interview. Ta. “It's not just the blight on the streets and sidewalks and the frustrations we have out there. It's in your home. It's your children. It's your mom and dad brushing their teeth. Sometimes that's what you see in the mirror. If there's a unification agenda, that's it.”

Proposition 1 is the linchpin of Newsom's answer to a complex homelessness crisis intertwined with mental health issues and substance abuse. More than 8 in 10 of California's homeless residents experience a serious mental health condition, and nearly two-thirds regularly use illegal drugs. According to a study by the University of California, San Francisco.

The governor's solution would increase mental health facilities and treatment beds, provide more funding for substance abuse medical care, and ask courts to require families and authorities to provide treatment for people with severe mental illness. We aim to make it easier. Expanding the availability of housing in the form of temporary shelters and permanent affordable housing and increasing state oversight of local government programs are also key parts of his solution. .

“My frustration is palpable,” Newsom said. “We're giving cities and counties tools. We want them to use them, and it's time to move.”

Mr. Newsom's impatience stems from the fact that he has spent more than $28 billion to reform the state's mental health system since taking office, and the homeless population has only grown.

Fox News repeatedly blames the governor for California's homelessness crisis, and during a prime-time debate in November, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis mocked Newsom by showing a map of public spots in San Francisco where human feces had been reported. did.

Newsom is confronting progressives in his party by taking a more moderate approach to this issue than any other policy issue, while also taking a more proactive stance on the housing and mental health needs of our communities. He has repeatedly criticized local governments that do not take action.

Last year, he signed Senate Bill 43, which expands standards for detention, treatment and conservatorship for people with severe mental illness, against the wishes of human rights and disability advocates on the party's left. CARE courts, a system that mandates drug addiction treatment, received similar backlash from the American Civil Liberties Union in 2022. The coalition was concerned that allowing families, doctors and authorities to file treatment requests in court could result in a rollback of rights.

Newsom also asked the Supreme Court to take up a case to determine whether people have a constitutional right to camp on public land if they have nowhere else to sleep. This month, he told the high court to “get back on track, clear encampments, and end the costly delays caused by litigation that plague our efforts to serve those in need.” ” he asked. It's an unusual move for a Democratic governor who routinely criticizes the court's conservative majority's stance on abortion and guns.

Proposition 1 is another example of a governor resisting pressure from the left. Progressive advocates objected to a last-minute change that would have allowed Proposition 1 funds to be used for secure mental health facilities.

Rachel Bhagwat, legislative advocate for ACLU California Action, said the organization also offers additional services for people with severe mental and behavioral health needs. He said he shares the governor's concerns about the need for. The ACLU has not yet taken a position on Proposition 1, but it also has concerns about the approach the state is taking.

“Our ACLU of California believes that these involuntary and coercive methods, any involuntary and coercive methods, should be used only in the narrowest of circumstances. '' said Mr. Bhagwat.

Without the expansion of voluntary treatment services, community-based care and supportive housing, there is a risk that people will be forced into treatment simply because they do not seek early help and allow their symptoms to worsen. She said there is.

Formal opposition to Proposition 1 comes primarily from mental health advocacy groups and a handful of Republican lawmakers who opposed the bill in Congress and have struggled to raise funds for campaigns against the bill.

Taking a more centrist position on Proposition 1 could give Newsom broader appeal as he expands his profile outside the Golden State. Although the governor is not a candidate for the 2024 presidential election and is touring the United States as a surrogate for the Biden-Harris campaign, he has been repeatedly nominated as a possible candidate for the 2028 presidential election.

“I think a great many Americans are yearning for some sign of a functional political system where the parties compromise,” said Kim Nalder, a political science professor at Sacramento State University. “And if he can be seen as someone who is ushering in bipartisan solutions to critical problems, that's a huge win for him.”

Newsom said his desire to solve the homelessness crisis goes beyond politics and is about pride in California. His senior staff say he regularly sends photos of encampments from his travels around the state to remind everyone that they can do better.

Sen. Brian Dahl (R-Beaver), Newsom's 2022 re-election opponent, voted for SB 326, a bill that restructures the 20-year-old California Mental Health Services Act. refused to vote on AB 531, the bond portion of the bill. He said homelessness and mental health are concerns across California and in the rural north, where residents live on sidewalks in Burney Falls, population 3,000.

“It's not really a partisan issue,” Dahle said. “While our party doesn't have the power to deregulate and lower housing costs, we do have the power to cross the aisle and say, 'Let's work together.'” I think we need more. We would like to see more of them coming to us. ”

Newsom ramps up campaign on Prop. 1, released Tuesday 30 second ad With a bipartisan message focused solely on benefits to veterans. The measure allocates more than $1 billion in grants and loans for housing veterans.

Grove said she was the first female military veteran to serve in the California State Legislature.

“He has wasted a lot of money,” she said of Newsom in an interview. “But if this means we have 10,000 beds to house chronically ill people, including veterans of the U.S. military who have protected and served this country, then we will do everything we can. We need to hold him accountable to make sure that those funds are spent correctly.'' ”