Sacramento— California voters narrowly approved a measure that will mandate counties to spend on housing and drug treatment programs to combat homelessness. Gov. Gavin Newsom personally campaigned for the measure's success.
California Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1, and the borderline vote more than two weeks after election day signaled unease with the state's homeless policies after Newsom's administration invested billions of dollars to get people off the street but saw no dramatic change in Los Angeles and other large cities.
California Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1, and the borderline vote more than two weeks after election day signaled unease with the state's homeless policies after Newsom's administration invested billions of dollars to get people off the street but saw no dramatic change in Los Angeles and other large cities.
About 181,000 Californians are homeless, nearly a third of the nation's total. Newsom, who made the legislation a flagship initiative, dedicated time and money to its campaign. Law enforcement, first responders, hospitals, and mayors of large cities helped him fund over $13 million to promote it. Just $1,000 was raised by opponents.
After the close vote, Newsom said, “This is the biggest change in decades in how California tackles homelessness, and a victory for doing things radically different.” Now, counties and local governments must match California voters' ambition. State and local leaders must move promptly to succeed in this historic reform.”
Counties must now spend two-thirds of a 2004 voter-approved tax on millionaires for mental health services on housing and programs for homeless people with major mental disorders or substance misuse issues. With 5,500 beds, the state needs 8,000 more for mental health and addiction treatment.
The measure also lets the state borrow $6.38 billion to create 4,350 housing units, half of which are for veterans, and 6,800 mental health and addiction treatment beds. Social service providers and county officials warned the change will harm initiatives that prevent homelessness rather than just treating drugs or housing.
Critics warned the single methodology might oblige rural counties like Butte, with fewer than 1,300 homeless individuals, to transfer the same percentage of revenue to housing as large counties like San Francisco, which has six times more homeless people.
Homelessness has become one of California's most frustrating concerns, and Newsom will face it if he runs for president. Makeshift tents line roadways and disrupt businesses across the state. Newsom called the proposal the final step in his mental health reform strategy. He has supported regulations that make it easier to force behavioral health patients into treatment.
Sacramento television producer William Elias “was on the fence” about Proposition 1 but voted yes due to homelessness. “That’s all around us right now,” he remarked. “We got all these tents in front of City Hall.” Palm Springs resident Estrellita Vivirito also supported the motion.
It’s only logical, you know, we have to do something,” she remarked. Katherine Wolf, a doctorate student at UC Berkeley, voted "no" because she worried it would imprison more people. I was outraged at the system of laws he has been building to degrade the rights of people with mental disabilities,” Wolf said of Newsom.
Sacramento Republican state worker Griffin Bovee voted against the initiative and said the state wastes taxpayer money. “Sacramento really shouldn’t get another dime until they actually figure out why what they’re doing is not working,” he added of the homelessness situation. “They spent $20 billion over the past few years fixing that problem and it got worse.”
Millionaire tax revenue, at $2 billion to $3 billion, accounts for one-third of the state's mental health budget. Some county officials, mental health service providers, and Republicans opposed the ballot issue, saying it would eliminate money for cultural centers, peer-support programs, and vocational services and pit them against homeless services.
Under Newsom, at least $22 billion has been spent on crisis initiatives, including $3.5 billion to turn decrepit motels into homeless housing. California distributes $2 billion in subsidies to establish more treatment facilities.
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