Tanu Henry, Antonio Ray Harvey and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media
Proposition 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s controversial $6.4 billion proposal aimed at providing some 11,000 treatment beds for mentally ill and drug addicted homeless Californians, barely passed last week with about 30,000 votes — equal to less than one percentage point.
State election authorities had been counting approximately 7 million votes cast for the measure for more than two weeks since the March 5 primary. On March 20, the Associated Press declared the measure had passed.
“This is the biggest change in decades in how California tackles homelessness, and a victory for doing things radically different,” said Newsom, who moved his State of the State address last week, in anticipation of the results.
“Now, counties and local officials must match the ambition of California voters. This historic reform will only succeed if we all kick into action immediately – state government and local leaders, together,” Newsom added.
Opponents of the measure called Newsom’s win on Prop 1 an “embarrassing squeaker that contains a strong warning.”
“Prop. 1 does not just ‘reform’ the mental health system, it reduces funding for mental health services by redirecting $1 billion per year. Prop. 1 could be a humanitarian disaster if it is not well managed,” read a statement from Californians Against Prop. 1.
“Prop. 1 was poorly designed because it relies on $10 billion in debt and stealing money from existing mental health services. The governor’s campaign succeeded only by concealing the way this measure is paid for. They barely got away with it,” the statement continued.