Prop 1: Voters approve $6 billion ballot measure addressing homelessness in California, AP projects

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California voters person passed a measurement that volition enforce strict requirements connected counties to walk connected lodging and cause attraction programs to tackle the state's homelessness crisis.

The video supra is from an earlier communicative and volition beryllium updated.

Proposition 1 marks the archetypal update to the state's intelligence wellness strategy successful 20 years and a triumph for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who spent important clip and wealth campaigning connected the measure's behalf, raising much than $13 cardinal to beforehand it with the enactment of instrumentality enforcement, archetypal responders, hospitals and mayors of large cities. Opponents raised conscionable $1,000.

Newsom celebrated aft the proposition passed narrowly 2 weeks aft predetermination day.

"This is the biggest alteration successful decades successful however California tackles homelessness, and a triumph for doing things radically different," helium said successful a statement. "Now, counties and section officials indispensable lucifer the ambition of California voters. This historical betterment volition lone win if we each footwear into enactment instantly - authorities authorities and section leaders, together."

The measurement gives the authorities greater power implicit a voter-approved taxation enacted successful 2004 connected millionaires for intelligence wellness services that gave counties wide latitude successful however to walk it. Counties volition present beryllium required to walk astir two-thirds of the wealth connected lodging and programs for stateless radical with superior intelligence illnesses oregon substance maltreatment problems.

The inaugural besides allows the authorities to get $6.38 cardinal to physique 4,350 lodging units, fractional of which volition beryllium reserved for veterans, and adhd 6,800 intelligence wellness and addiction attraction beds.

Opponents, including societal work providers and region officials, said the alteration volition endanger programs that are not solely focused connected lodging oregon cause attraction but support radical from becoming stateless successful the archetypal place.

With makeshift tents lining streets and disrupting businesses successful communities crossed the state, homelessness has go 1 of the astir frustrating issues successful California and 1 definite to canine Newsom should helium ever equine a nationalist campaign.

Newsom touted the proposition arsenic the last portion successful his program to betterment California's intelligence wellness system. He has already pushed for laws that marque it easier to unit radical with behavioral wellness issues into treatment.

William Elias, a tv shaper successful Sacramento, said helium "was connected the fence" astir Proposition 1 but decided to ballot successful favour of it due to the fact that of the pervasive homelessness problem.

"That's thing that's each astir america close now," helium said. "We got each these tents retired present successful beforehand of City Hall."

Estrellita Vivirito, a Palm Springs resident, besides voted 'yes' connected the measure.

"It's lone logical, you know, we person to bash something," she said.

Katherine Wolf, a doctoral pupil astatine the University of California, Berkeley, said she voted 'no' connected the measurement retired of concerns it would effect successful much radical being locked up against their will.

"I was appalled of the strategy of laws that helium has been gathering to benignant of erode the rights of radical with intelligence disabilities," Wolf said of Newsom.

Griffin Bovee, a Republican authorities idiosyncratic successful Sacramento, besides voted against the proposition and said the authorities has been wasting payer money.

"Sacramento truly shouldn't get different dime until they really fig retired wherefore what they're doing is not working," helium said of the state's handling of the homelessness crisis. "They spent $20 cardinal implicit the past fewer years trying to hole that occupation and it got worse."

The authorities accounts for astir a 3rd of the stateless colonisation successful the United States; astir 181,000 Californians are successful request of housing. The state, with a existent inventory of 5,500 beds, needs immoderate 8,000 much units to dainty intelligence wellness and addiction issues.

Revenue from the taxation connected millionaires, present betwixt $2 cardinal and $3 cardinal a year, provides astir one-third of the state's full intelligence wellness budget.

Opponents, including immoderate region officials, intelligence wellness work providers and immoderate Republicans, said the ballot measurement would chopped backing from taste centers, peer-support programs and vocational services and would pit those programs against services for stateless people.

They said the azygous look besides could mean agrarian counties specified arsenic Butte, with a stateless colonisation of less than 1,300 people, would beryllium required to divert the aforesaid percent of funds to lodging arsenic municipality counties specified arsenic San Francisco, which has a stateless colonisation six times bigger.

Newsom's medication has already spent astatine slightest $22 cardinal connected assorted programs to code the crisis, including $3.5 cardinal to person rundown motels into stateless housing. California is besides giving retired $2 cardinal successful grants to physique much attraction facilities.