California releasing more than half of Prop. 1 funding this summer

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that more than half of Proposition 1’s funding to build facilities and housing for mental-health care will become available to counties as soon as July.

“Let's move forward, get ready, get those applications going, and let's move these projects forward,” Newsom said Tuesday at a press conference in Redwood City.

Voters in March narrowly passed Prop. 1, which Newsom introduced to update the 2004 Mental Health Services Act. The legislation included a $6.4 billion bond to create treatment beds for those struggling with behavioral-health or substance-use issues, as well as housing for homeless residents or people at risk of homelessness.

Newsom announced Tuesday that counties can begin applying for $3.3 billion of that funding in July, just after the California Department of Healthcare Services said last week that it will release guidance for how to apply for bond funding this summer.

It’s unclear whether San Francisco will be ready to apply for funding by then. The Department of Public Health told The Examiner last week that it was “actively tracking the release” of state guidance “and looks forward to developing our proposal as more information becomes available.”

A spokesperson with Mayor London Breed’s office told The Examiner on Tuesday that they were “thrilled” that Newsom moved up the opening of applications to July.

“The mayor has directed all city departments to move as quickly as possible to ensure that we are ready when the funding becomes available,” the spokesperson told The Examiner. "The City is currently reviewing funding criteria to ensure our projects are in line with those requirements.”

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman has also established a task force — the Residential Beds Working Group — that he told The Examiner last week will work toward addressing behavioral-health needs in The City, including applying for Prop. 1 funding.

Newsom said that along with the release of the funding, a new task force and “strike team” will help move the process along quickly to make sure that applications aren’t delayed. He said that application approval will depend on merit.

The governor also scolded some counties and cities in the state for dragging their feet in terms of adopting existing reforms — including recently passed conservatorship legislation — and called on local governments to rise to the challenge of this new announcement.

“It’s time to do your job, it’s time to get things done,” Newsom said. “You asked for these reforms; we’ve provided them. Now it’s time to deliver.”

He cited CARE Court in particular, which allows family members or others connected to individuals suffering from certain mental-health issues to create one-year treatment plans through civil court.

San Francisco was one of the first counties in the state to roll out the program, although its success has been limited so far .

“That's the announcement today — a few months, not many years, new accountability, a new energy,” he said. “Let’s move on conservatorship reform, let’s move faster on CARE Court , and let’s roll in the direction that people in the state of California demand.”