Spencer, I agree with you and I actually think you’re one of the first people willing to say out loud what a lot of people are seeing but not articulating clearly: this isn’t just a housing issue, it’s a substance abuse and mental health crisis playing out in public.

What really stood out to me was your point about using 5150 holds as a pathway to stabilize people and then pairing that with longer term treatment like Vivitrol. That’s the first time I’ve seen someone even attempt to connect immediate intervention with sustained recovery in a realistic way. Leaving people on the street in active addiction isn’t compassion, it’s cruel abandonment.

There has to be a way to balance civil liberties with the reality that people deep in addiction often can’t make rational decisions for themselves. Doing nothing clearly isn’t working. At least this is a framework that acknowledges the severity of the problem and tries to address it head on.

I really really hope you win this election!!!