Proposition 1, titled Bonds for Mental Health Treatment Facilities, was a

California ballot proposition California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and state

bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Fidelity bond, a type of insurance policy for employers * Chemical bond, t ...

measure that was voted on in the 2024 primary election on . Passing with just 50.18 percent of the vote, the proposition will provide additional behavioral health services and issue up to $6.38 billion in bonds to fund housing for veterans and homeless individuals. It will also move about $140 million of annual existing tax revenue for mental health care and addiction care to the state from the counties.

Background

Since the enactment of a 2011 law, only state propositions placed on the ballot by the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

may appear on the primary election ballot. In addition, the

California Constitution The Constitution of California () is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of California. California's constitution was drafted in both English ...

mandates that any measure that issues more than $300,000 in bonds must be approved by voters. Governor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom ( ; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...

first proposed the bond measure in March 2023 to help modernize the state's mental health system, as well as reform the

California Mental Health Services Act In November 2004, voters in the U.S. state of California passed Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which has been designed to expand and transform California's county community mental health services, mental health service syst ...

(MHSA) that was originally passed by voters as Proposition 63 in 2004. State senator

Susan Eggman Susan Talamantes Eggman (born March 3, 1961) is an American politician who served in the California State Senate from 2020 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented the 5th Senate district, which encompasses western San Joaqu ...

then introduced the proposal in the state legislature, where it was then approved in September 2023.

Support

Supporters of the proposition argued that more mental health and housing initiatives were necessary in the state.

Opposition

Opponents of the proposition argued that the program was an

unfunded mandate An unfunded mandate is a statute or regulation that requires any entity to perform certain actions, with no money provided for fulfilling the requirements. This can be imposed on state or local government, as well as private individuals or organiz ...

and that it could cut county mental health programs.

Polling

Results

The results were certified on April 12, 2024. The proposition passed with 50.18 percent "Yes" votes versus 49.82 percent "No" votes.

References