California voters decided Tuesday the fate of Proposition 1, a statewide ballot measure. The proposal is one that Gov. Gavin Newsom has argued is essential to solving the state's mental health and homelessness crises.
The bill would redirect existing taxes on the wealthy under the state's 20-year-old Mental Health Services Act to fund services for people with substance abuse disorders and build more than 10,000 treatment beds. It includes $6.4 billion in bonds to support the project.
Mr. Newsom campaigned from San Francisco to San Diego in the lead-up to the primary, pushing for legislation to address the thorniest issues of his governorship and the most visible challenges in his home state, where voters are increasingly wary. appealed to voters. The number of people living in tents and under highways in cities large and small.
Newsom said at rallies and in ads that Prop. 1 is an opportunity to right a past mistake, when the state closed the state mental health hospital in the 1960s without strengthening community services, “leading to decades of neglect.” It was described as being.
“Prop. 1 finally writes a new chapter.” Newsom said. “Prop. 1 justifies a historical mistake.”
According to the 2023 count, approximately 181,000 people are homeless across the state, including 75,000 in Los Angeles County. A recent study from the University of California, San Francisco found that 82% of unhoused people experience a serious mental health condition, and nearly two-thirds regularly use illegal drugs at some point. It is said that he was
Arguing that the status quo is not working, Mr. Newsom has pushed through a series of policies since taking office to address the problem, including expanding the criteria for holding people against their will to include substance abuse disorders. And authorities can ask courts to mandate increased availability of treatment and temporary and permanent shelter for people.
Proposition 1 would build on these efforts by amending the voter-approved Mental Health Services Act of 2023 to include treatment for people with substance use disorders, regardless of whether they suffer from a mental health condition. It is complementary. This law, which imposes a 1% tax on income over $1 million to fund the expansion of mental health treatment options in California, would be changed under Proposition 1.
The measure would also increase state oversight of county spending on behavioral health, at a time when Newsom has repeatedly questioned local governments' commitment to solving problems.
But every time Newsom takes a step, he faces pushback from the right and the left.
Liberal groups say Newsom's policies, such as expanding CARE courts and conservatorships, violate civil rights, deter people from seeking help for fear of forced care, and place people in needlessly harsh treatment conditions. I am concerned that there is a possibility that they will be sent there. Local governments have expressed concerns about the governor's ability to fund the governor's more ambitious policy directives and quickly train police and other officials to comply with the new law.
Meanwhile, voters are frustrated by the lack of progress, and Republicans say unchecked liberal control in California caused the crisis.
Opponents of Proposition 1 cited the high price tag as one of the reasons they want voters to reject the measure.
“No matter where you stand politically, there is something abhorrent about Prop. 1,” Paul Simmons, director of California No. 1, said in a statement released before the election. “Red flags are flashing everywhere, whether it's the cost, the track record of failure, or the fact that Proposition 1 is hurting the people currently receiving mental health services.”
The California Department of Treasury estimates the total cost of behavioral health infrastructure bonds included in Proposition 1 will be $14 billion. Bonds purchased by investors serve as loans that the state repays with interest.
The two measures that put the measure on the March ballot received rare bipartisan support in the state Legislature. Republicans and Democrats are breaking away from party lines to offer voters potential solutions to problems plaguing the state. But by Election Day, voters don't seem to share the spirit of bipartisanship.
The bill wavered with just 50% support. University of California, Berkeley Institute of Government The poll was conducted in late February in collaboration with The Times. A majority of Republican voters opposed the measure, raising concerns about how Prop. 1 would perform in elections with higher Republican turnout.
