That’s despite calls from lawmakers and county leaders to allocate money to the voter-approved law, which came with no funding source attached.
Prop 36 raised penalties for drug and theft-related crimes. It also allowed dismissal of some felony offenses if the individual completes treatment. And it was really popular with voters last November.
“It's beyond me why he would be so defiant against 70% of the voters of the state of California,” Roseville Republican Senator Roger Niello said. “That's a lot of Democrats also.”
Newsom opposed the measure last year and hasn’t committed to direct funding for it yet.
“The state's not the only spigot. Counties have to do their job,” the governor said at his budget presentation this week. “There are a lot of supervisors in the counties that promoted it, so this is their opportunity to step up, fund it.”
Newsom said some funding could come through Prop 47, which lowered penalties and put the money the state saved towards treatment programs. But because Prop 36 rolled back aspects of it, that pot is likely to decrease.
Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond said it’s also just not enough.
“We are limited in what we can do without support from the state,” he said, adding that the mandate is already straining resources.
“There have certainly been increases in arrests and prosecutions related to Prop 36, but they are inherently limited by the lack of behavioral health infrastructure, both in terms of staff, facilities, workforce here in Sacramento, and also resources for the courts,” Desmond said.
The budget next goes to the legislature, which must pass their version by mid-June.