Gov. Gavin Newsom has amassed more than $14.2 million in a campaign war chest for his hallmark mental health initiative, which will appear on the March 5 primary ballot, a sum that eclipses the resources of the measure’s opponents.
He’s drawing from longtime allies in health care, unions and tribes to fund the campaign for Proposition 1, which would issue $6.4 billion in bonds to pay for housing and treatment facilities while also redistributing money raised for mental health services through a tax on high earners.
In contrast, the Californians Against Proposition 1 campaign raised a mere $1,000, according to campaign finance records. Newsom’s opponents mostly are small mental health providers and current users of the mental health system that fear losing resources if voters pass the measure.
To the opponents, this David vs. Goliath matchup represents a fight to save community services, like crisis response teams and peer counseling.
Paul Simmons, director of Californians Against Prop. 1, said opponents include groups “that are actually going to be affected” should the measure pass.
“We are generally the consumer,” Simmons said. “A lot of us are white collar professionals, a lot of us are on the verge of homelessness. We’re a broad range, but we’re not the people that are going to give $20,000 or a million dollars.”
But the powerful Yes On 1 campaign, including Newsom, counters that opponents are propping up a broken system that doesn’t reach those with the most critical needs.
“Prop. 1 has a broad and diverse coalition…because it will finally fix our broken mental health care system and move people permanently off the…
Read the full article here
