News

Oct 4, 2024

What you need to know: California is sending $167 million in grant funding to 27 local governments and service providers for treatment and supportive services. The funding is made possible through savings from Proposition 47, which has funded nearly half a billion dollars for programs such as housing assistance, substance-use disorder and mental health treatment, job training, and civil legal services in California.

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) awarded $167 million in grant funding to 27 government and community-based organizations to provide mental health services, substance-use disorder treatment, and diversion programs in local communities. The funding comes from Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved initiative that reduced the penalties for some nonviolent crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and directed savings due to less incarceration to be used to help system-involved people rehabilitate their lives by tackling the root causes of crime.

"A decade after voters overwhelmingly approved Prop 47, this measure continues to work. Crime rates are lower in California than before voters approved Prop 47 and fewer offenders are returning to a life of crime. The state of California must continue to invest in common-sense public safety solutions that stop cycles of crime, without going back to the failed and unsafe days of mass incarceration."

Governor Gavin Newsom

Since its inception, Proposition 47 savings have created approximately $800 million in available funding, with 65% of state savings going towards mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment and diversion programs, 25% going to K-12 schools, and 10% going to victims services.

This cohort of grantees represents the fourth round of three-year grants the BSCC has awarded. Since 2014, these Proposition 47 grants have totaled more than $490 million to fund programs such as housing assistance, substance-use disorder and mental health treatment, job training, and civil legal services, many of which are barriers to employment and housing.

"Our Proposition 47 grant program is making a positive impact in our communities through meaningful interventions-there is no doubt these programs are changing lives," said BSCC Board Chair Linda Penner. "It's exciting to continue this funding to help support these diverse efforts and it's encouraging to see the kind of services they will provide."

BSCC provides a variety of public data dashboards, including Proposition 47 grantee metrics, as well as recently released reports noting the multitude of successful outcomes for programs supported by the grant funding. A statewide evaluation released in February 2024 indicated that recidivism was cut by more than half for low-level offenders in Proposition 47-funded programs. BSCC provides services to the county adult and juvenile justice systems through inspections of county jails and juvenile detention facilities, technical assistance on local issues, promulgation of regulations, training standards for local correctional staff, and the administration of a wide range of public safety, re-entry, violence reduction, and rehabilitative grants to state and local governments and community-based organizations.

Investing in public safety

Governor Newsom has invested $1.1 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety. This includes the Governor's Real Public Safety Plan - which focuses on strengthening local law enforcement response, ensuring perpetrators are held accountable, and getting guns and drugs off our streets.

As part of the state's investments to combat organized retail crime, Governor Newsom announced last year the state distributed $267 million to 55 communities to help local communities combat organized retail crime. These funds have enabled cities and counties to hire more police, make more arrests, and secure more felony charges against suspects. Through these grants, law enforcement agencies across the state have made 6,922 arrests and invested in new technology and programs to improve public safety in their communities.

Grant recipients include:

• City of Anaheim - City Attorney - $8,000,000
• City of Bakersfield - $1,999,374
• City of Banning - $6,990,541
• City of Fort Bragg - Police Department - $2,521,555
• City of Long Beach, Department of Health and Human Services - $8,000,000
• City of Pomona - $8,000,000
• City of Seaside Recreation Services - $6,022,619
• County of San Diego - Behavioral Health Services - $8,000,000
• County of Glenn Health and Human Services Agency - $8,000,000
• County of Riverside Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions - $8,000,000
• Alameda County District Attorney's Office - $6,000,000
• Madera County Office of the District Attorney - $2,000,000
• Marin County Sheriff's Office - $6,149,144
• Orange County Probation - $8,000,000
• Public Defender for the County of Monterey - $8,000,000
• Riverside County Veterans' Services - $7,937,500
• Sacramento County Department of Health Services - $8,000,000
• San Francisco - Department of Homelessness & Supportive Housing - $7,999,999
• San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments - $8,000,000
• Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency - $8,000,000
• Santa Cruz County Office of Education - $7,118,238
• Santa Monica City Attorney's Office - $7,926,172
• Shasta County Probation - $2,000,000
• Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office - $2,591,725
• University of California, Irvine - $2,469,922
• Ventura County Public Defender's Office - $7,317,598
• Yolo County Probation Department - $2,000,000

Information about the individual awards and programs

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