Valley voters now appear to reject Prop. 1, but homeless initiative maintains thin lead statewide
No campaign has conceded the proposition, which shifts a third of mental health funding and approves billions in bonds, will likely pass
By MARIJKE ROWLAND
marijke@cvlocaljournalism.org
While Central Valley counties appear to have all rejected Prop. 1, the statewide upheaval of mental health funding coupled with billions in bonds to fight homelessness, the initiative remains too close to call more than a week after final ballots were cast.
The proposition, championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and written in part by Stockton-based State Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, continues to maintain a less than half a percentage point lead as votes are still being counted across the state.
Despite the razor-thin margin, less than 24,000 total votes total, earlier this week the No on Prop. 1 campaign sent out a preemptive concession, saying “it’s likely to pass.”
Paul Simmons, co-founder of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance and a director with the No campaign, said the campaign’s concession was released to get their message across again about what they consider to be the harmful effects of Prop. 1.
If passed, the initiative will shift about a third of county behavioral health funding toward housing intervention programs. The proposition also greenlights $6.4 billion in bonds, which will go to public and private developers to build largely institutional treatment and housing facilities.
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