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Drug treatment law gets high marks

First study of Prop. 36 shows state saved

Oakland Tribune, Thursday, July 17, 2003


By Josh Richman
STAFF WRITER

California's treatment-not-jails law for nonviolent drug offenders placed 30,469 people in treatment programs during its first year, according to its first official audit.

News Item - Posted 07/17/2003

Press Release - 05/14/2003

Prop. 36 'Realignment' Deferred, Probably Dead As a Concept

Gov. Davis Drops Proposal to Shift Prop. 36 to Counties Amid Legal Hurdles, Opposition by Legislators and Initiative Sponsors

SACRAMENTO, May 14 - Gov. Gray Davis effectively conceded defeat today in his effort to force "realignment" of Prop. 36 funds and programs, with his May revision of the budget punting the concept until next year.

Press Release - 05/01/2003

Senate Budget Subcmte. Votes Unanimously Against 'Realignment' of Prop. 36, All Alcohol/Drug Treatment Pgms.

First Vote on Subject After Legislative Counsel Casts Doubt on Governor's Prop. 36 'Realignment' Proposal

SACRAMENTO, May 1 - In a major blow to Gov. Gray Davis' plan to alter Proposition 36 by transferring the program to counties, a key Senate Budget subcommittee voted 5-0 today against "realignment" of all drug and alcohol treatment services.

Bill Zimmerman, who managed the campaign for Prop. 36 and serves on the Statewide Advisory Group supervising implementation, said, "Today's vote shows that leadership in Sacramento understands that preserving Prop. 36 will save the state money. Realignment was ill-conceived and it is being rejected at each turn."

Leg. Counsel Opinion Weighs Heavily for Prop. 36 Sponsors in Battle Over Drug Treatment Funding ‘Realignment’

$120 Million Appropriation Will Be Automatic on July 1, Regardless of Budget Dealings by Governor, Legislature

SACRAMENTO, April 30 — A new opinion by the Legislative Counsel of California casts grave doubt on the legality of a proposed “realignment” of Proposition 36 drug treatment funds. The measure’s $120 million annual appropriation is automatic and not subject to the budget process or to legislative alteration without another vote of the people, the opinion states.

News Item - Posted 04/30/2003

Tight Budget May Impair Rehab Program

Davis wants to hike taxes to pay for Prop. 36 drug treatment. Counties call funding plan unreliable.

Los Angeles Times, April 7, 2003


By Seema Mehta
Times Staff Writer


Local officials fear that a California voter-approved program hailed as an innovative way of dealing with nonviolent drug offenders may be crippled by attempts to solve the state budget crisis.

Proposition 36, approved in November 2000, changed state law so that certain drug offenders would receive drug treatment and supervision in the community rather than being sent to jail, which is far more costly.

News Item - Posted 04/07/2003

Press Release - 02/13/2003

Statewide Groups, Dozens of Health Care Professionals Oppose ‘Realigning’ Prop. 36

Joint Letter to Gov. Davis, Senate Pres. Burton, Speaker Wesson Argues Against Budget Plan that Would Harm Initiative

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 13 — In a show of force today, more than 175 individuals and organizations concerned with Prop. 36 implementation joined in a letter to the governor and legislative leaders to argue against changing the ballot measure’s guaranteed funding and oversight provisions.

"Prop. 36 simply doesn’t work under the [Davis administration’s] realignment proposal," the letter reads. "In all likelihood, treatment quality will suffer, local government will be saddled with higher costs, and an inability to collect data will make it impossible for anyone to judge whether Prop. 36 is working or not."

Press Release - 02/12/2003

Prop. 36 Sponsors ‘Disappointed’ by Davis Plan to Proceed with Realignment

Meeting with Dept. of Finance Confirms Threat to Voter Initiative

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 12 —Davis Administration representatives yesterday told Prop. 36 supporters that they plan to proceed with “realignment” of funds and programs begun by the initiative, effectively ending voter-guaranteed funding levels and state oversight of the program.

Bill Zimmerman, executive director of the Campaign for New Drug Policies, said, “Whether or not the governor made a mistake in proposing realignment of Prop. 36 is no longer the issue. It is clear that his administration is moving ahead with this plan despite the many obstacles we have made evident.”

Press Release - 02/11/2003

Prop. 36 Sponsors to Meet with Davis Admin., Urge End to ‘Realignment’ Plan

Proposal Would End State Funding, Oversight of Drug Treatment Law

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 11 — The leading sponsors of Proposition 36 will tell Davis Administration representatives today that their budget plan would destroy the voter-approved law.

A delegation of Prop. 36 supporters was invited to meet with the Department of Finance, which is developing the details of the governor’s budget “realignment” proposal. In its first incarnation, the budget called for ending state funding of Prop. 36 drug treatment, transferring Prop. 36 programs to the county level.

Prop. 36 advocates threaten to sue Davis over budget plan

Planned cuts violate safeguards in state's drug treatment law, they say

The Oakland Tribune, Saturday, February 8, 2003


By Josh Richman
STAFF WRITER

Supporters of California's drug treatment-instead-of-jail program threatened Friday to sue Gov. Gray Davis unless he withdraws part of his budget plan that they say would gut the voter-approved law.

Advocates say Davis' proposed budget omits the $120 million annual trust fund, state oversight or state-funded efficacy study specifically required by Proposition 36, passed by 61 percent of voters in November 2000.

News Item - Posted 02/08/2003

Press Release - 02/07/2003

Prop. 36 Supporters Warn Governor: Budget Plan Is Illegal

‘Realignment’ Plan Violates Ballot Initiative; Proponents Vow Lawsuit

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 7 – Governor Gray Davis is being warned today that a part of his budget plan would violate voter-approved Proposition 36. Supporters of the law, requiring drug treatment instead of jail for drug possession, vowed to sue if the proposal is not withdrawn.

Press Release - 01/16/2003

Gov's Budget Plan Guts Prop. 36

* Voter-Approved Drug Treatment Fund, $120 Million/yr., Vanishes
* State Oversight of Local Programs Eliminated
* Long-Term University Studies Would End

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 — Sponsors of voter-approved Proposition 36, which requires drug treatment instead of jail time for nonviolent drug offenders, say that Gov. Gray Davis’ budget proposal would gut key provisions of the law. However, they say the initiative simply cannot be amended in the fashion Davis has proposed, and they urged him to drop Prop. 36 programs from the proposed “realignment” of other state programs to local governments.

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