San Joaquin County voters in November will decide if residents receiving county public assistance will have to be screened and drug tested in order to determine whether they can continue getting the aid.
During a special meeting held Thursday by the county Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Tom Patti proposed placing a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot that would require anyone suspected of illegal drug use to complete treatment or risk their benefits being taken away.
After a lengthy discussion amongst the board members, the motion to place the measure on the ballot was passed in a 5-0 vote and if voters approve the measure, it would take effect Jan. 2, 2025.
The reason behind the special meeting was that the deadline to add a measure to the ballot is approaching soon and the fiscal cost to do so ranges from $311,000 to $761,000.
“If we can prompt that person and save lives here in San Joaquin County and use this as a tool to help us engage that person and get their support to participate, I believe this is worth supporting,” Patti said. “Put it on the ballot, let the voters decide in San Joaquin County.”
Prior to the vote, Supervisor Paul Canepa raised concerns about the fiscal cost of putting the measure on the ballot and questioned if the money would be better spent providing services rather than putting up a proposal that could fail to pass.
According to the board, state law requires that every county provide public assistance programs for poor, single adults who are 65 and under.
San Joaquin County continues to follow the requirement through a general assistance program that only serves those 65 and under without any dependent children.
Those who collect the benefits are eligible to receive between $27 and $75 per month as a cash benefit and can be eligible for additional funding for housing, which is paid directly to the landlord.
Anyone can receive the aid regardless of their sobriety status.
Who needs screening?
The proposed measure that will be included on the ballot would require anyone receiving the benefits to be screened for substance use disorder if the county reasonably suspects the person to be dependent on illegal drugs.
If the screening were to indicate that a person could be using illegal drugs, the county will provide a professional evaluation and may refer the recipient to an appropriate treatment program.
If the program is available without cost, then the person suspected of drug use would be required to participate to continue receiving general assistance benefits.
Supervisor Steve Ding, who was in support of adding the measure to the ballot, said he believed it was a necessary action to take.
“What is our mission statement when it comes to homelessness and drug abuse and the millions and millions of dollars we’ve wasted aiding and abetting people to sleep on the street and do drugs … it needs to stop,” Ding said. “This measure is but a small step for people to take accountability.”
“This measure is but a small step for people to take accountability.”
Supervisor Steve Ding
He said if money is not being spent to help rid people of their addiction or for behavioral health measures then it shouldn’t be spent.
“Not washing their clothes, feeding them, giving them every aid so they can sit down and kill themselves on fentanyl … that’s hardly moral or ethical,” Ding said.
The measure brought to the board Thursday came about from a similar measure, Proposition F, passed in San Francisco by voters in March of this year.
It requires single adults, ages 65 and under, with no dependent children who receive city public assistance benefits and whom the city reasonably suspects are dependent on illegal drugs to participate in screening, evaluation, and treatment for drug dependency for those adults to be eligible for most of those benefits.
