Title
Receive a report and adopt a position on California Proposition 1, Behavioral Health Services Program and Bond Measure (March 2024).
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors receive a report and adopt a position on California Proposition 1, Behavioral Health Services Program and Bond Measure (March 2024).
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Proposition 1 is the combination of two laws passed during the 2023 legislative session: Senate Bill 326 (amending Mental Health Services Act) and Assembly Bill 531 (State bond issuance for housing infrastructure).
Background
On March 19, 2023, Governor Newsom announced a proposed strategy to reform the State's Behavioral Health System. Part of the strategy, known as Senate Bill 326 (SB326), was to modernize and reform the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) as now included in Proposition 1. Monterey County Behavioral Health (MCBH) provided an overview of this proposal to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) at the June 27, 2023, meeting and more details were shared with the BOS at the August 22, 2023, meeting, where the BOS adopted an "Oppose Unless Amended" position and sent a letter to Senator Eggman accordingly.
The key issues of concern were not materially changed, and this bill has now been incorporated into Proposition 1.
The Behavioral Health Bureau recommends the Board of Supervisors adopt an "Oppose" position regarding California Proposition 1, Behavioral Health Services Program and Bond Measure (March 2024).
Prop 1: Bond Issuance
The Proposition would issue approximately $6.4 billion in state bonds to fund the creation of housing and treatment infrastructure for veterans and individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have behavioral health needs.
Proposition 1 proposes $4.4 billion of these funds would go towards treatment infrastructure. The state estimates that the bond would build places for 6,800 individuals to receive behavioral health treatment at any one time. The...
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