October 12, 2023

Statement of County Behavioral Health Directors Association as Governor Newsom Signs SB 326

“Proposition 1, which will be placed before the voters in March 2024, promises to transform the public safety net for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorders for decades to come.

Proposition 1 reflects advocacy by our county behavioral health leaders to allow for our state’s millionaire’s tax to also fund services for individuals with substance use disorders, and to increase transparency and accountability for county behavioral health funding and services to improve the public’s understanding and trust in the amazing contributions of our safety net to serving vulnerable populations on a daily basis. This Proposition will also fundamentally alter the county safety net’s relationship with the state, Medi-Cal managed care plans, and commercial insurance plans, with the goal of improved coordination and accountability across multiple systems.

Proposition 1 will recast the millionaire’s tax to dedicate one third of the mental health millionaire’s tax revenues to fund housing. This change confers a new level of responsibility on our public behavioral health safety net, for not only connecting individuals with behavioral health conditions to available housing, but for setting aside a dedicated portion of county mental health services funding for those ongoing housing needs. In doing so, our public behavioral health safety net will set the bar for the public sector’s commitment to addressing homelessness.

If the Behavioral Health Modernization Act is approved by voters, county behavioral health agencies will continue working closely with the state to realize the promise of Proposition 1 while addressing the inherent volatility of the fund source and safeguarding core behavioral health services for all Californians funded through our state’s millionaire’s tax.”

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The County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California (CBHDA) is a nonprofit advocacy association representing the behavioral health directors from each of California’s 58 counties, as well as two cities (Berkeley and Tri-City)