Letters to the Editor: California barely passed Prop 1, a sweeping mental health measure. What now?

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·1 min read
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 03: Gov. Gavin Newsom kicks off his campaign for Proposition 1 at Los Angeles General Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. The Proposition is the only statewide initiative on the March 5 primary ballot and asks voters to approve bonds to fund more treatment for mental illness and drug addiction. The initiative is a component of his efforts to tackle homelessness in the state. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Gov. Gavin Newson's Proposition 1 measure approved bonds to fund treatment for mental illness and drug addiction under certain conditions. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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To the editor: When considering the exceedingly narrow passage of Proposition 1, policymakers should not conclude that voters are reluctant to invest in supportive services for people with mental health and substance use disorders, nor housing for the unhoused.

Many voters want housing and services. But they voted no because of the trade-offs in this complicated measure. Informed voters knew that obtaining a small percentage of the housing Los Angeles County desperately needs in exchange for locked mental health jails and less funding for outpatient mental health care was simply not worth it. A 68-page ballot measure hinders broad public accessibility and a yes should not be misinterpreted as approval of caging vulnerable community members.

Titilayọ Rasaki, Los Angeles

The writer is Policy and Campaigns Strategist at La Defensa.

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To the editor: Disability Rights California has issued a report condemning L.A. County for holding people in jail, the result of a shortage of residential or treatment beds in the community. Is this the same organization that opposed Proposition 1, which seeks to repurpose a portion of the Mental Health Services Act to help fund more residential and treatment beds for people with mental illness in our community?

Kerry Morrison, Los Angeles

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.