Here’s where $4.4 billion in mental health spending is going

In March 2024, voters narrowly passed Proposition 1 — a mental health measure championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that included a $6.4 billion bond to pay for the creation of housing and treatment facilities. 

More than a year later, how has the money been spent?

As CalMatters’ Marisa Kendall and Jocelyn Wiener explain, $4.4 billion of the bond money is earmarked for mental health and addiction treatment beds. The rest is for housing and support services for patients with mental illness or substance use disorders.

Last month the state released $3.3 billion to fund 124 projects across 42 counties, which should fund more than 5,000 treatment beds and 21,800 outpatient treatment slots, according to Newsom’s office. That’s about 74% of the beds and 82% of the outpatient slots the bond first pledged to fund.

Big counties received a large portion of the money — Los Angeles County got nearly $1 billion for 35 projects — but some rural counties, which are in the most need of mental health resources, also received grants. Fresno County, for example, won grants for four projects, including one that would enable Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center to add 107 in-patient beds.

Though the money is a boon for health clinics and treatment centers, mental health advocates and county leaders have raised concerns about the speed of which the money is being distributed. California has historically awarded counties that can develop “launch ready” projects, which can be completed on a faster timeline. Prop. 1 is no exception, which could lead to the state bypassing funding for more complex, hard-to-build facilities, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

The application process for $800 million in grants is now open until Oct. 28, which Newsom’s office plans to distribute funds by next spring.

Read more here.

After a transgender high school student in Jurupa Valley finished first- and second-place at a state track and field championship in May, President Donald Trump threatened to impose “large scale fines” against the state and to withhold federal funding. 

But can he really do that? 

California law allows transgender students in K-12 school districts to compete on teams that match their preferred gender, writes CalMatters’ Adam Echelman. But unless Congress or the U.S. Supreme Court steps in, the president lacks the authority to change the state’s law.

The U.S. Department of Justice did, however, send a letter last week arguing that the current policy violates federal law and is unconstitutional.

On Monday the state’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against the administration over the letter, and in a statement, California school chief Tony Thurmond said that “sending a letter does not change the law.” 

The federal government provides California over $2 billion annually for low-income schools and $1 billion for special education.

Read more here.

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff:

After a combative campaign that devolved into fights about censorship and pornography, voters in Huntington Beach have rejected a committee to review library books for sexual content.

The special election that ended Tuesday pushed the Orange County community into the center of a national battle over free speech, parental rights and what material is available to children in public libraries. It also tested the power of an ascendant political movement led by the self-proclaimed “MAGA-nificent” city council, which in recent years has turned Huntington Beach into the bulwark of conservative resistance to California’s progressive governance.

With more than 50,000 ballots counted on Tuesday night, the campaign to repeal the community review board, created last year by the city council, led with 59% of the vote.

• Spencer Hagaman, campaign manager to repeal the review board, in a statement: “We are united in protecting our libraries. No one will take away our freedom to read.”

But the city council’s push to restrict access to books that it considers obscene is likely to continue. Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark was not ready to concede on Wednesday and noted that the election had raised awareness in Huntington Beach about the process for challenging library material.

• Van Der Mark: “Our resolve and dedication to protecting our children remains strong. It remains unchanged.”

To assist California public employees, a bill introduced this year would allow newly hired police and firefighters to retire earlier, and increase the cap on how much California pensioners can earn in retirement. But former Gov. Jerry Brown says the proposal would make the state pension system “less secure.” Find out what happened to the bill from CalMatters’ Adam Ashton.