Proposition 1 has been promoted by local and state authorities — including Gov. Gavin Newsom — as a crucial part of California’s plan to address mental health and substance use issues in the state. But while supporters and opponents of the measure agree the state needs more money for mental health treatment facilities, supportive housing and more, they disagree on how to best use that money.
Proposition 1, which could have far-reaching implications for the future of California’s behavioral health system, aims to expand access to behavioral health care by opening up more than $6 billion in bonds and reorganizing how existing funding is organized.
Some mental health advocates see it as a must for modernizing California’s behavioral health infrastructure and making it work for people who are most vulnerable.
Others are concerned that the measure, if passed, would lead to service cuts and more locked psychiatric facilities, which they say are unnecessary for treating people living with mental illness.
“For years and years and years the mental health system has been underfunded,” mental health advocate Karen Vicari told LAist. “It’s not a solution to move money around.”
‘Moving money around’
Proposition 1 has already gained strong support from officials and elected officials in Los Angeles, including county Supervisor Hilda Solis, Sheriff Robert Luna and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.
According to Newsom’s office, the measure would make bond funds available for supportive housing “where over 11,000 Californians with the severest mental health needs can live, recover, stabilize and thrive.”
The proposition would also…
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