California voters on Wednesday barely passed a measure to massively increase taxpayer funds going toward constructing facilities for certain homeless people in the state, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
Proposition 1, a measure consisting of a $6.4 billion bond, aims to bolster treatment and housing options for homeless individuals grappling with mental health and addiction issues. When Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and bipartisan state lawmakers in 2023 collaborated to put it on the spring 2024 ballot, polling indicated strong public support, implying the measure would pass with ease, according to the NYT. (RELATED: ‘Hit The Working Class Between The Eyes’: California Green Proposal Could Spike Pump Prices By 50 Cents)
Proposition 1 PASSES.
This is a huge victory for doing things radically different when it comes to tackling homelessness.
The biggest change CA has seen in DECADES.
Now it’s time to get to work — repairing the damage caused by decades of broken promises and neglect to those… https://t.co/NYNujP8Iwk
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 21, 2024
“This is a huge victory for doing things radically different when it comes to tackling homelessness,” Newsom posted on X Wednesday. “The biggest change CA has seen in DECADES. Now it’s time to get to work — repairing the damage caused by decades of broken promises and neglect to those suffering from severe mental illness.”
Voters and donors hardly realized there was any opposition because its passage was presumed to be a foregone conclusion, according to the NYT. However, following the March 5 election, The Associated Press required 15 days to tally the mail-in ballots to confirm its narrow approval.
Newsom delayed his yearly state of the state address because of the extended counting period, initially slated for Monday, as he hoped to tout the measure passing during the speech, according to the NYT.
Returns on Wednesday revealed Proposition 1 passing with only 50.2% of voter support, according to the NYT. Disproportionately Democratic enclaves supported it but in other areas support was less than anticipated.
California came in fifth place for homeless population rate at 46.5 per 10,000, or roughly 181,399 people, according to Axios in January. Homeless camps in San Francisco reached a record high since the pandemic in September with over 500 sites.
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