Darrell Steinberg and the Campaign for Mental Health

Prop 63 Passes!

Dear Friends,

Thanks to your great work, we can wake up Wednesday morning, knowing that tens of thousands of people will have a better life. Thank you for making this dream come true; thank you for your vision; thank you for believing in a better California; and thank you for fulfilling our promise. Do not underestimate your achievement. We have done something together that few thought possible. I look forward to seeing you all on the trail so that I can personally thank you.

Your friend, Darrell

Let's Get Out the Vote

Here it is - the day we've all been waiting for. It's been a long road over the last two years, from idea to election day.

And here's what you've done. You collected 100,000 volunteer signatures, which, to my knowledge, is unprecedented in ballot initiative history. Almost 4,500 of you have made donations to the campaign. Over one hundred thousand of you have visited this website. Our Flash animation featuring Ed Asner has been viewed close to 15,000 times and counting. Thousands of you came to rallies and other Prop. 63-related events. And thousands of you are on our email list, constituting the mental health constituency that we have never had in this state - until now.

If you're reading this, I'm almost certain that you've already cast your vote as an absentee voter, or that you'll cast your vote today. Please urge everyone you know to vote today, and ask them to vote YES on Prop 63. Our polling shows that it's going to be a close election for us, and we need every vote that we can get. A large number of voters are undecided on Prop. 63, so your talking to people can actually help us get the votes we need to win.

Thanks again for everything. Your help has made all the difference in this campaign, and we couldn't have come this far without you and your dedication.

I like to vote at the polls on election day, so I'll be there first thing this morning. And then I'll wait for the results. I'll try to get a post on the website this evening as the results are coming in.

Humboldt County

Just wanted to thank all the people in Humboldt County who welcomed and hosted me during my day there on Tuesday of last week. I had a really wonderful day of meeting people in the mental health community in Humboldt County, and of touring and learning about the county's mental health programs. The county has done an outstanding job of delivering services, despite insufficient resources. The Humboldt County folks have the energy and dedication, and Prop. 63 will fulfill the promise and give them the resources they need to meet the need for mental health services in the county.

Humboldt County, like many others in the state, has an AB 34 program that is very successful, and is achieving very positive employment and education performance outcome measures for clients in the program. The county uses contract providers to provide supported employment to people in the AB 34 program, and also has a cooperative program with the State Department of Rehabilitation to provide vocational services to clients. Humboldt has a dedicated group of people who are helping others gets their lives on track.

The Board of Supervisors in Humboldt presented me with a resolution of appreciation for the AB 34 bill I authored in 1999, and I was honored to receive that. I want to thank the board, Lance Morton, the Humboldt County Mental Health Branch Director, Assembly Member Patty Berg, my colleague with whom I shared lunch on Tuesday, Pamlyn Millsap, the Homeless Coordinator for Street Outreach Services, and all of the other people who welcomed me to Humboldt County.

Please continue to talk with and email your friends and colleagues about Prop. 63, and don't be shy about asking for their vote. We've put in so much work, and we have only one more day to make Prop. 63 the law in California.