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By Connie Martinez and Vy Tran
SACRAMENTO, CA — Prop. 1 has been certified by the California Secretary of State, leading Californians Against Prop. 1 to follow up with a statement that questions the validity of the election, according to the coalition.
“We believe all ballots should be counted,” Paul Simmons, a director of Californians Against Prop. 1, said, adding, “We know that many Democrats voted against Prop. 1, so the governor’s effort is no slam dunk. If you’re a Republican or Independent, we want you to know that your ballot might make the difference in this election. But the governor won’t help you. We will.”
California’s Prop. 1, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, has “two major components related to providing mental health care and drug or alcohol treatment to people and addressing homelessness.”
The first component changes the Mental Health Services Act that was passed by voters in 2004, with a focus on how the money from the act can be used.
The second component, according to the overview reported by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, authorizes $6.38 billion in bonds to build mental health treatment facilities for mental health and substance use challenges, on top of providing housing for the homeless.
According to Ballotpedia, Prop. 1 passed in March by a narrow margin of about 26,000 votes.
Californians Against Prop. 1 believe there are loopholes that will create outcomes that the voters did not intend. According to “Californians Against Prop. 1,” they believe it was due to Newsom’s “endless manipulations” that the proposition passed.
These “endless manipulations,” according to Californians Against Prop. 1, include clearing the ballot and keeping only Prop. 1 on the March ballot; controlling the legislative drafting process via Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of Health and Human Services; intimidating legislators; lying to mental health advocates about the purpose of Prop. 1; fundraising from prison guards, tribes, unions and healthcare interests; utilizing media coverage for self-interest; and delaying the homeless audit by not evaluating billions in budget to address homelessness.
Most notably, opponents against Prop. 1 note that, after the election, Newsom’s team launched a “rescue operation” seeking to get Democratic voter ballots counted after election results were revealed to be very close.
“We don’t know if reviving rejected ballots will change the outcome of this election,” Simmons said, “but if the governor thinks it might, we for damn sure aren’t going to let him have the field to himself.”
