San Diego County's Democrat Supervisors Vote Down "Ceremonial Support" For Prop 36
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer today declined to vote in favor of the County of San Diego putting its “ceremonial support” behind Proposition 36. A County of San Diego staff analysis concluded that at least $14 million in State funding for mental health, addiction treatment, and homelessness programs would be lost if Proposition 36 passes in November. In addition, Prop 36 would result in a minimum of approximately $58 million annually in additional criminal justice system costs, which would need to be reallocated away from other County investments in affordable housing, homelessness services, and mental health and addiction treatment programs.
Supervisor Lawson-Remer, who has been instrumental in the County’s historical increases in behavioral health and homelessness services, could not support Proposition 36 due to these significant negative fiscal impacts on essential County service programs.
County staff analysis also concluded that the core argument in support of Proposition 36 – that crime is rising so new tools are needed to crack-down on retail theft and drug offenses – is unfounded and not supported by the evidence. During the Board of Supervisors meeting, County staff shared that crime actually decreased in 2023, including a 15% decrease in burglaries, an 8% decrease in robberies, and an 8% decrease in overall property crimes.
“Taking away $72 million in vital data-driven programs that have proven to dramatically help people, reduce recidivism, prevent homelessness, and reduce criminal activity is counter-productive and will make our communities less safe,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer, Vice Chair, San Diego County Board of Supervisors . “Getting rid of the successful programs that provide treatment for people abusing drugs and alcohol will create more criminals, and will result in hundreds more people living on our streets.”
Read the latest County staff analysis of the funding expected to be lost here.
Data has shown that these Safe Neighborhoods and Schools programs that would be defunded by Proposition 36 over the past 10 years have led to a 60% reduction in homelessness, a 50% reduction in unemployment, and significant reductions in recidivism rates.
On August 27, 2024 when the “ceremonial support” of Proposition 36 was first introduced by Republican Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond, Supervisor Lawson-Remer then said , “I’m fighting every day to tackle homelessness, protect our neighborhoods from crime and gun violence, and keep our streets clean and safe. Stealing is wrong, which is why I supported the crime-fighting bills that Governor Newsom just signed into law. We need to pursue the most effective programs to protect public safety, and it’s concerning that Proposition 36 could defund key behavioral health treatment, K-12 programs, and trauma recovery for those we serve.”
To read the original policy presented by Republican Supervisors Anderson and Desmond, in partnership with District Attorney Summer Stephan, click here.