Gov. Gavin Newsom, LA Mayor Karen Bass announce mental health development

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a news conference Wednesday supporting expansions to mental health treatment across California. 

"It is not enough to get a bed for a person," Bass said. We can get people off the street. People are willing to come off the street. But, you have to address why they became unhoused to begin with."

The announcement, made at the Los Angeles General Medical Center in Lincoln Heights officially began the campaign in support of Proposition 1, a $6.38 billion bond measure on the March ballot that backers say will develop thousands of mental health treatment beds and support housing across the state. 

"There's two components of this $6.4 billion bond that provides for 11,150 new units, treatment slots, actual housing and 26,700 slots for out-patient treatment," Newsom said. 

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said Prop 1 is critical in creating a real system to address mental illness on the streets. 

"The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates a jail system that has become the largest mental health institution in our country — approximately 42% of our population is mentally ill," Luna said. 

The governor's news conference was held across the street from where funding is already helping to create about a thousand beds. At that particular location there are 96 beds that provide mental health services and addiction services. Officials hope to expand the benefits to serve as a model for the state. 

Critics of Prop 1 expressed concerns surrounding $1 billion in state funding being redirected. There is also concern of voter fatigue after billions have been pumped in to fight the homeless crisis only for more people to end up on the street.

"We can't continue to do what we've done. You'll get what you've got," Newsom said. 

HOPICS, one of the region's most prominent outreach and housing organizations, has thrown its support behind the proposal. 

"It's about reform of the entire behavioral health system," HOPICS director Veronica Lewis said. "I absolutely agree there are some complicit bias and structural racist policies that have kind of been grandfathered in, but I think that many of the people at he table, including at the top ... understand those are things that need to be addressed."