San Francisco, California, Proposition F, Require Drug Screening for Certain Beneficiaries of the County Adult Assistance Program Initiative (March 2024)

San Francisco Proposition F
Election date March 5, 2024
Topic Local welfare
Status Approved
Type Initiative

San Francisco Proposition F was on the ballot as an initiative in San Francisco on March 5, 2024. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported requiring drug screening of individuals receiving County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP) benefits for individuals suspected by the city to be using illegal substances and requiring the individual to participate in treatment programs (if the treatment program is free) to continue receiving assistance benefits.

A "no" vote opposed requiring drug screening of individuals receiving County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP) benefits for individuals suspected by the city to be using illegal substances and requiring individuals to participate in free treatment programs to continue receiving benefits.

Election results

San Francisco Proposition F
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		130,214	58.13%
No		93,790	41.87%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Proposition F was as follows:

“

Shall the City require single adults age 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?

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• Mayor London Breed (Nonpartisan)

Political Parties

• San Francisco Republican Party

Arguments

• Mayor London Breed: "Prop F, the Treatment + Accountability Measure, adds another tool to San Francisco's efforts to address the deadly drug use that is creating serious public safety hazards and fueling an overdose crisis on our streets. Two people a day are dying of overdoses from Fentanyl and other deadly drugs in San Francisco. These are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. Offers of treatment without accountability are not enough. We must do more to get people into treatment and save lives. But under current state law, San Francisco lacks tools to compel people into treatment. The City deploys street teams to offer voluntary services and connections to treatment. While some people do accept help, many do not, being unwilling or unable to do so. Prop F would allow the City to require single adults with substance abuse to participate in treatment in order to continue receiving cash assistance from the City and County of San Francisco. Applicants will be offered substance use treatment if they are deemed to have a substance abuse condition. These treatment programs include a range of interventions, such as: residential treatment, medical detox, medically assisted treatment, outpatient options, and abstinence-based treatment, depending on the needs of the client. Right now, San Francisco serves over 4,000 people with medication assisted treatment through medications like buprenorphine and methadone. Today, San Francisco can sign people up the same day they apply to one of these programs. Prop F strikes the right balance between compassion and accountability, to ensure that substance abuse treatment is accepted more often than it is declined."

Opposition

Arguments

• Roma Guy, former Public Health Commissioner: "Prop F will increase the number of people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco by taking away the basic services and support systems that keep those in greatest need off the streets. Beyond more homelessness, Prop F will not solve problems with crime by making vulnerable people even more destitute. San Francisco's government already cannot meet the current demands of the overdose crisis. Experts agree we simply do not have enough treatment capacity and supportive housing available for those who want care and need treatment. Prop F defies accepted best practices for treating substance use disorder and addressing homelessness, and will have deadly results. Research by public health experts shows indisputable evidence that proposals such as Prop F lead to increased rates of return to substance use, overdose deaths, and suicide. This initiative will take away vital assistance and employment services from low-income San Franciscans. San Francisco city government must prioritize getting people experiencing substance use disorder into stable and safe housing, and supportive services that serve as a pathway to treatment, not search for new ways to deny them basic support and sustenance and force them into the streets where they will grow the ranks of the homeless population. San Francisco city leaders have failed to fulfill their promises to expand our public health system's capacity to address drug use and homelessness by not following through on their own 2022 Overdose Prevention Plan."

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

The measure was placed on the ballot through an initiative petition sponsored by San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in California

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in California.

How to vote in California

Poll times

All polls in California are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in California, an individual must be a U.S. citizen and California resident. A voter must be at least 18 years of age on Election Day. Pre-registration is available at 16 years of age. Pre-registered voters are automatically registered to vote when they turn 18.

Automatic registration

California automatically registers eligible individuals to vote when they complete a driver's license, identification (ID) card, or change of address transaction through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Learn more by visiting this website.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

California has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

California allows same-day voter registration.

Californians must be registered to vote at least 15 days before Election Day. If the registration deadline has passed for an upcoming election, voters may visit a location designated by their county elections official during the 14 days prior to, and including Election Day to conditionally register to vote and vote a provisional ballot, which are counted once county election officials have completed the voter registration verification process. The state refers to this process as Same Day Voter Registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in California, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

California's constitution requires that voters be U.S. citizens. When registering to vote, proof of citizenship is not required. Individuals who become U.S. citizens less than 15 days before an election must bring proof of citizenship to their county elections office to register to vote in that election. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

As of November 2024, two jurisdictions in California had authorized noncitizen residents to vote for local board of education positions through local ballot measures. Only one of those jurisdictions, San Francisco, had implemented that law. Noncitizens voting for board of education positions must register to vote using a separate application from the state voter registration application.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The secretary of state's My Voter Status website allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

California does not require voters to present identification before casting a ballot in most cases.

On September 29, 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed SB 1174 into law prohibiting any jurisdiction in the state from adopting a local law that requires voters to present ID before voting.

The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.

These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.

The following list of accepted ID to comply with HAVA requirements was current as of October 2025. Click here for the California Secretary of State page to ensure you have the most current information.

“

Current and valid photo identification provided by a third party in the ordinary course of business that includes the name and photograph of the individual presenting it. Examples of photo identification include, but are not limited to, the following documents: driver's license or identification card of any state; passport; employee identification card; identification card provided by a commercial establishment; credit or debit card; military identification card; student identification card; health club identification card; insurance plan identification card; or public housing identification card. Any of the following documents, provided that the document includes the name and address of the individual presenting it, and is dated since the date of the last general election…: utility bill; bank statement; government check; government paycheck; document issued by a governmental agency; sample ballot or other official elections document issued by a governmental, agency dated for the election in which the individual is providing it as proof, of residency or identity; voter notification card issued by a governmental agency; public housing identification card issued by a governmental agency; lease or rental statement or agreement issued by a governmental agency; student identification card issued by a governmental agency; tuition statement or bill issued by a governmental agency; insurance plan card or drug discount card issued by a governmental agency; discharge certificates, pardons, or other official documents issued to the individual by a governmental agency in connection with the resolution of a criminal case, indictment, sentence, or other matter; public transportation authority senior citizen and disabled discount cards issued by a governmental agency; identification documents issued by governmental disability agencies; identification documents issued by government homeless shelters and other government temporary or transitional facilities; drug prescription issued by a government doctor or other governmental health care provider; property tax statement issued by a governmental agency; vehicle registration issued by a governmental agency; or vehicle certificate of ownership issued by a governmental agency.

”

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2024
• Local welfare on the ballot

California

• California 2024 local measures
• Local ballot measures, California
• San Francisco, California

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas