{"id":242340,"date":"2026-03-29T17:47:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T17:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/242340\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T17:47:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T17:47:09","slug":"its-past-time-to-fulfill-prop-36-and-end-cycles-of-addiction-and-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/242340\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s past time to fulfill Prop. 36 and end cycles of addiction and crime"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Homeless<\/a>A homeless person\u2019s tent. (Photo courtesy of the city of San Diego)<\/p>\n

In 2024 Californians made it clear we\u2019d had enough.<\/p>\n

Enough of unchecked suffering on our streets. Enough of open-air fentanyl markets hollowing out our cities. And enough of the \u201ctheft tax<\/a>\u201d we were paying at the checkout counter to offset the cost of those who were stealing to support a drug habit.<\/p>\n

\"Opinion<\/a><\/p>\n

Nearly 70% of Californians supported Proposition 36<\/a> \u2014 not because they wanted to return to an era of mass incarceration, but rather because they knew we needed to start the era of mass treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I supported and helped lead the effort to pass Prop. 36, despite the objections of\u00a0many in my own party<\/a>. I did it because I see the human cost of homelessness, retail theft and addiction every day as a big city mayor. <\/p>\n

I did it because as a Democrat, I simply don\u2019t believe it is compassionate or just to turn a blind eye to preventable death on our streets, or repeated acts of crime in our neighborhoods. And I did it because as a family member of someone who spent years struggling on the streets with addiction, I know first-hand that without intervention and accountability, there can be little hope of recovery or progress.<\/p>\n

The seeds of Prop. 36 were planted a decade earlier. In 2014, voters approved Prop. 47 to reduce incarceration for non-violent offenses, but also removed key tools that we had used to require treatment for repeat drug offenders and break cycles of addiction and crime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The results were dramatic. Homelessness surged in California, even as it dropped in other states. More than half our unsheltered population reported substance abuse problems. \u00a0 Participation in drug diversion programs\u00a0plummeted<\/a>, overdoses more than\u00a0doubled<\/a>\u00a0and became the leading\u00a0cause of death<\/a>\u00a0for Californians under 45. Video of rampant retail theft, often by those struggling with addiction, became a mainstay on the\u00a0evening news<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s be clear. These images of failure helped elect Donald Trump, and he has used them in his war on California values ever since.<\/p>\n

Voters approved Prop. 36 to change that paradigm and fix this mess. To restore the tools that our judges need to get more people into treatment. And to connect the principles of treatment and accountability that are essential to recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet Sacramento\u00a0refuses to fully fund<\/a>\u00a0and implement this critical reform.\u00a0I will<\/a>.<\/p>\n

California currently spends roughly\u00a0$50,000 per year<\/a>\u00a0on each chronically homeless individual in our state, without delivering significantly better outcomes.<\/p>\n

We need to audit that spending to root out the waste, duplication and inefficiencies. Together with the recently voter-approved Proposition 1<\/a> funds that are\u00a0already being used<\/a>\u00a0to expand mental health services across our state, this can fund building out our current treatment capacity by 10,000 beds by 2030. It will save lives and won\u2019t require a dime of tax increases.<\/p>\n

Second, we need to integrate a network of full wraparound case management services and community providers in every county, connected to each individual through every step of recovery.\u00a0San Diego is already doing this<\/a>, routing over 96% of eligible defendants into proven treatment pathways. Their model should be expanded statewide.<\/p>\n

We also need to require counties to spend a share of their existing homeless services funds on emergency interim housing, and service delivery targeted at the most pressing needs of those who have been falling through the cracks.\u00a0We\u2019re already doing this in San Jose<\/a>, and it\u2019s getting our unsheltered neighbors indoors at a faster pace than any other place on the west coast.<\/p>\n

Finally, we need to create uniformity and accountability in how our courts and communities implement Prop. 36. We need statewide standards to ensure judges consistently apply compliance and treatment mandates, instead of allowing a 58-county patchwork that doesn\u2019t always align with our shared goals. We should require courts to partner with behavioral health and external service providers to ensure that offenders are getting the full spectrum of services needed to support recovery. And we must ensure courts and service providers are monitoring program completion rates so we can hold repeat offenders accountable for changing behavior.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Californians voted to end the era of failure on homelessness, addiction and crime. They want a system that balances compassion with accountability and delivers real results.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prop. 36 can do just that. It gives the state the tools to connect people to treatment, strengthen accountability, and stop abandoning our most vulnerable neighbors to the streets. If we build treatment capacity, demand follow-through, and hold every level of government accountable, we can finally deliver on the promise of Prop. 36 and build a safer, healthier California in the bargain.<\/p>\n

Matt\u00a0Mahan\u00a0is the mayor of San Jose, northern California\u2019s largest city, and is a Democratic candidate for Governor.\u00a0 Learn more at\u00a0mahanforcalifornia.com\/treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Want to submit a letter to the editor, guest column or\u00a0opinion\u00a0piece? Find our guidelines and submission form\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A homeless person\u2019s tent. (Photo courtesy of the city of San Diego) In 2024 Californians made it clear…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24360,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[2780,13260,1493,4421,5121,74,76,75,238],"class_list":["post-242340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-addiction","tag-fentanyl","tag-homelessness","tag-matt-mahan","tag-proposition-36","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-theft"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}