Proposition 1 requires strict requirements on counties to spend on housing and drug treatment programs for homeless people, as well as allowing the state to raise a $6.4 billion bond to tackle the issue. The measure comes as the Golden State’s budget debt is expected to grow to $73 billion this year, according to Bloomberg.
Newsom said that when it comes to accountability, the state will use the same approach it is currently using to ensure cities adhere to new affordable housing laws. The State has sued or issued sanctions on 47 cities in the state, including Huntington Beach.
The single formula would mean rural counties like Butte, with a homeless population of fewer than 1,300 people, would be required to divert the same percentage of funds to housing as urban counties like San Francisco, which has a homeless population six times bigger. San Francisco Mayor London Breed said she supports the measure. Butte County officials have expressed concerns.
Other opponents, including social service providers and county officials, said the change will threaten programs that are not solely focused on housing or drug treatment but keep people from becoming homeless in the first place.
Newsom’s administration has already spent at least $22 billion on various programs to address the crisis, including $3.5 billion to convert rundown motels into homeless housing. California is also giving out $2 billion in grants to build more treatment facilities.
