FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Proposition 1 is the only statewide measure on California’s primary election ballot. It’s a measure backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
A yes on Prop 1 would use over $6 billion in bond funding to create supportive housing, give $1 billion to support veterans and create 65,000 mental health jobs.
In addition, it would create over 26,000 outpatient treatment slots.
| Answer | Vote Percentage | Total Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 50% | 1,884,614 | |
| No | 50% | 1,870,020 |
But mental health advocates say the proposition unravels the 20-year-old Mental Health Services Act that was put in place to help people with mental illness.
“It really is taking us back to the days, really before Regan, where there was mass institutionalizing of those with mental illness and not a lot of treatment, quite honestly,” said Simmons.
Paul Simmons, an organizer for the No on Prop 1 campaign, says it’s putting a Band-Aid on the issue of homelessness and taking away from people with mental health issues.
“The homeless issue is not a mental issue, per se. The homeless issue is an affordability issue, and this isn’t going to solve that at all,” said Simmons.
And that’s something Dr. Michelle Scoggins agrees with.
“Just since the pandemic, really, mental health needs have skyrocketed,” said Scoggins.
She says mental health services in California need to change.
Currently, funds for the Mental Health Services Act go directly to counties across the state – which means they decide how to distribute those funds.
But a yes vote would change that.
“It certainly would mean counties are going to have to rearrange how they are delivering those services to be able to meet the requirements of Prop 1,” UC Merced Political Science Professor Nathan Monroe said.
He believes Prop 1 is a complex measure and believes there’s voter uncertainty with Prop 1.
