ROLANDO, Calif. (KGTV) — SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday kicked off the "Get Out the Vote" weekend for Proposition 1 at the United Domestic Workers building in San Diego's Rolando neighborhood.
"Let's get out there, knock on doors, and let's vote yes on Proposition 1," Newsom said to the crowd.
The governor was joined by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and a coalition of mental health workers, veterans, and public safety officials.
Prop. 1 proposes a $6.38 billion overhaul of the state's mental and behavioral health system.
The measure would create 11,000 new behavioral health beds, build supportive housing, and recruit more than 65,000 new healthcare workers.
Mayor Gloria said last year, 50,000 911 calls were mental health emergencies.
"That's 130,000 service hours first responders are using for mental health emergencies and not responding to medical claims, like heart attacks or other kinds of challenges," Gloria said.
Among the crowd of supporters was Joshua Bohannan with Father Joe's Villages, an organization that helps people experiencing homelessness.
"We know that the longer you're on the streets, the more trauma you might experience, the more likely you're able to develop a behavioral health issue," Bohannan said.
He said the biggest challenge is not having a continuum of care for people with mental health and behavioral issues.
"A shelter bed is not the right place for those people. They need treatment beds. They need access to care in a safe, stable place so they can recover," Bohannan said.
However, County Supervisor Jim Desmond opposes Prop. 1.
He said the problem is not the money, it's the policies.
"Without changing the policies and just giving them more money to me is detrimental, and it is not going to fix our homeless problem," Desmond said.
Instead, Desmond said the focus should be creating more sober living programs and transitional housing.
