Proposition 1
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On July 1, 2026, Proposition 1 stopped being a campaign promise and became the new operating system for county behavioral health funding in California.
For the last 20 years, county mental health programs have been funded through the Mental Health Services Act, or MHSA. Proposition 1 replaced that system with the Behavioral Health Services Act, or BHSA. The state has described this as a historic milestone, and in many ways it is. The new law puts more emphasis on housing, treatment for people with the most serious needs, substance use disorder services, and public accountability.
County Integrated Plans have already been approved by Boards of Supervisors and submitted to the state. Counties are now moving into implementation. That means turning those plans into detailed budgets, contracts, and program decisions. This is where many of the real impacts will be felt. Even within an approved plan, counties still make choices about how programs are structured, which providers are selected, how much funding is allocated to specific services, and whether existing programs are continued, modified, or phased out.
Once DHCS posts final county plans, members will have a clearer window into what each county committed to fund, although those who have been involved in their community planning processes will already have an idea of what is going to be funded.
Stay engaged with your county and tell your story clearly to continue advocating for the funding of NAMI programs. Learn more and access our guide on our Quorum page.
Prop 1/BHSA Background
- California ballot proposition and state bond measure that passed on March 5, 2024
- The families of NAMI had long been advocating for a change to the 20-year-old MHSA, and we finally had a Governor who was willing to act. NAMI California worked day and night to ensure this ballot initiative had as much in it to protect and serve families as possible. The services and supports of NAMI are included in nearly every section of the initiative.
- Includes the Behavioral Health Services Act (Senate Bill (SB) 326 (Eggman, Chapter 790, Statutes of 2023), and the $6.4 billion Behavioral Health Bond (Assembly Bill (AB) 531 (Irwin, Chapter 789, Statutes of 2023) to support Californians living with the most significant mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) needs.
- Prop 1 amended the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), renaming the law the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) and incorporating the following changes:
- Expanding its scope to encompass treatment for substance use disorders.
- Modifying how revenue from the millionaire’s tax is allocated for behavioral health services.
- Changing the requirements for counties’ three-year program and expenditure plan for behavioral health services and outcomes.
- Revising accountability and transparency requirements for counties.
- Prop 1 also led to the $6.38 billion Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act (BHIBA). This bond funds infrastructure development of treatment and supportive housing though the following programs:
- Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will administer $4.4 billion of these funds to provide grants to public and private entities for behavioral health treatment and residential settings. $1.5 billion of the funds administered by DHCS will be awarded only to counties, cities, and tribal entities (with $30 million set aside for tribes).
- The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) will administer up to $2 billion to support permanent supportive housing for individuals, including veterans, at risk of or experiencing homelessness and behavioral health challenges.