When our office joined public health leaders to champion Proposition 1, we knew it could be a game-changer for mental health and addiction care across California. Voters stepped up. And now that commitment is turning into construction.

The state just awarded funding for seven treatment projects across San Diego County, including two led by the County of San Diego.

That includes:

• 🛏️ A 72-bed residential substance use treatment center in National City, plus 16 recuperative care beds to help people stabilize after crisis.
  

• 👧 The region’s first Children’s Crisis Residential Center, with 16 beds for youth facing urgent mental health challenges.
  

• 🏥 Five additional community-led projects, from San Marcos to Pauma Valley, bringing expanded mental health and substance use care into the neighborhoods where it’s needed most.

We worked hard to support over 30 local applications. These seven projects are just the beginning — likely delivering over 350 new treatment beds and more than $170 million in state investment to San Diego County.

And we’re not done. More Proposition 1 funding announcements are expected in the coming weeks. We’re still fighting for every remaining project and provider that’s under review, because every new bed or treatment slot means someone gets help before a crisis hits.

In my recent State of the County address, I shared that we’ve already added more than 5,000 treatment slots since I took office. But we’re not done fixing this broken system. Over the next five years, we aim to double treatment capacity, build real care infrastructure, and finally break the cycle of crisis.

These projects are just the beginning.

What’s Next

The dollars are secured. The projects are selected. Now it’s time to build.

We need every city, every agency, and every partner to move quickly, so care isn’t delayed by process or red tape.

We brought this money home. Now let’s get shovels in the ground.