HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.17.21 Board Correspondence - FW_ Here’s what California’s mayors need to help solve the homelessness crisis
From:Clerk of the Board
To:Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Cook, Robin;Kimmelshue, Tod;
Lucero, Debra;Paulsen, Shaina;Pickett, Andy;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami;Rodas, Amalia;Sweeney, Kathleen;
Teeter, Doug
Cc:Taylor, Donnell (Don);Boston, Shelby
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Here’s what California’s mayors need to help solve the homelessness crisis
Date:Monday, May 17, 2021 8:47:01 AM
Good Morning,
Please see Board Correspondence below.
Thank you
Shaina Paulsen
Administrative Assistant, Senior
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200
Oroville, CA 95965
T: 530.552.3304 | F: 530.538.7120
From: Mary Kay Benson <mkbe.sparkles3@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2021 11:56 AM
To: Debbie Presson <debbie.presson@chicoca.gov>; stina.cooley@chicoca.gov; Dani Rogers
<dani.rogers@chicoca.gov>; Suzi Kochems <suzi.kochems@chicoca.gov>; Clerk of the Board
<clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Fwd: Here’s what California’s mayors need to help solve the homelessness crisis
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Pleasedistributetoallcitycouncilandboard,appropriatecityandcountystaff.Thankyou.
InSolidarity,
Mary Kay Benson
Chico
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DearChicoCityCouncil,
LookingatnextTuesday'slengthyAgenda,IdidnotseeanydiscussionoftheAdHoc
HomelessSolutionsCommitteenorproposalsforcitylanduse.HowarethecityandNSLS
goingtoprovideJudgeEnglandadraftagreementforhomelessshelteringforJune4th
deadlineatthisrate?TherewaspositivemomentumbuildingthroughlastFriday.Isurely
hopewehavereachedsomecommongrounds,anditwouldseemsomepublicinformation
shouldbeforthcomingonthis.IwashopingtoseesomeNorthStateShelterTeam'sproposals
andothers'ontheAgendasgoingforward.
Hereisthelinktoarticle'srelatedAssemblyBill71tofundHomelessness
solutions. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?
bill_id=202120220AB71
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article250702324.html
Here’s what California’s mayors need to help solve the homelessness crisis
BYERICGARCETTIAND
LIBBYSCHAAFSPECIAL TO THE SACRAMENTO BEE
APRIL18,202106:00AM
Duration 5:0
WetakealookintothelivesoftwohomelessrecipientsinMarch2021,whostayedatthe
VagabondInnduringtheProjectRoomkeyprogram,GovernorNewsom'sefforttoget
California'shomelessoffthestreetsduringtheCOVIDpandemic.BYRENÉE C. BYER
Everyyear,wedothesamedance:MayorsfromCalifornia’sbiggestcitiesheadto
Sacramentoinsearchoffundingtosolvehomelessness.
Wesitdownwiththegovernor.Weharangueourlegislators.Welayoutwhatweneedto
buildaffordableandsupportivehousingandexpandservicesforourunhousedconstituents.
Wenavigatethealmostnever-endingbudgetbattleamongourstateleaders,pushing,nudging,
imploringandeventuallygettingeverybodyonthesamepage.
Attheendofitall,inthelastthreeyears,wemetournear-termgoal—aone-timeinfusionof
fundingthatallowsustosupplementourlocalinvestmentsintemporaryshelters,permanent
units,publichealthaidandothersupport.
00:2
Thesehistoriccommitmentshavebeenmuchneeded,andthey’vehadarealimpact—
everywherefromSkidRowinLosAngelestothefreewayunderpassesofOakland.Butbyits
verynature,thisyearlyscrambleistemporary,unpredictable,definedbyever-changing
programrequirements,andit’sneversufficient.Inthewordsofarecentstateauditor’sreport,
ourstate’scurrentresponsetohomelessnessis,atbest,“disjointed.”
We simply cannot afford this kind of piecemeal approach any longer.
OPINION
This moral and humanitarian crisis is simply too vast, extensive and
expansive. Last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic, California had over160,000
peopleliving without shelter. Our state is the epicenter of a national homelessness
emergency and our big cities are ground zero.
Ourcitiescan’tfixthisproblemalone.IfwewanttoendhomelessnessinCalifornia,it’stime
forourstatetotreathomelessnesswithgreaterurgency,reneweddeterminationanda
comprehensivenessplan.Weneedtrulytransformativechange.
Fortunately,thatstrategyisalreadyonthetableawaitingactionbytheCaliforniaState
Legislaturerightnow.
LedbyAssemblywomanLuzRivas,D-Arleta,theBringCaliforniaHomeplanisthebold,
revolutionarythinkingweneed.Itwouldestablishafirst-of-its-kind,permanent,ongoing
sourceofstatewidefundingforcombatinghomelessness,pairedwithrealaccountabilityand
oversighttoensuresuccess.Thismeanstherewouldbeasustained,determinedinvestmentin
endinghomelessnessthatwillallowustoexpediteandgrowoureffortstocreatevital
affordable,permanentandinterimhousing;enactcriticalpreventionprogramsandincrease
supportservices.
AstheLegislativeAnalystsOfficerecentlyputit,“Along-termstrategywouldmakeitmore
likelythatthestate’sinvestmentswouldhaveameaningful,ongoingimpactonitshousing
andhomelessnesschallenges.”
Assembly Bill 71 would do all of this responsibly. To pay for this, the bill combines the
recordsurplusesour state government is seeing with new revenue generated by
holding major corporations — those with $5 million or more in annual profits —
responsible for paying their fair share of taxes. The bill does this by closing amajor
international tax loopholecompanies use to avoid paying taxes by shifting their profits
to tax havens offshore.
California’ssmallbusinesses,manyofthemleaderswhenitcomestosolvinghomelessnessin
theircommunities,wouldnotpayonemoredime.Theselocalemployersandentrepreneurs
tellusallthetimehowchallenginghomelessnessisfortheirneighborhoodsandbottomlines.
Bydirectingaconsistentsourceoffundingtosolutionsandhelpingpeopleoffthestreetand
intotemporaryorpermanenthousing,wewillstrengthenoursmallbusinesseswhile
improvingoureconomyandcreatingjobs.
Somesaythatwiththepandemicstilldominatingsomuchofourlives,jobs,schoolsand
economies,thisisthewrongtimetogobigandbold.That’sexactlythekindofshortsighted
thinkingthatgetsusintotrouble.Indeed,ifCOVID-19hastaughtusanything,it’sthatwe
can’tpermitbigchallengestofester,fermentandgrow.
Thepandemichasalsomadelifeworse forthosewhowerealreadystruggling,further
endangeringthelivesofhomelessCaliforniansandthrowingthousandsofCaliforniansinto
housinginsecurity.
ButCOVID-19hasrevealedourabilitytodelivercreative,rapidanswerstohomelessness.
We’velaunchedHomekey and Roomkey,whereGov.GavinNewsom,legislators,mayorsand
othersunitedtoturnhotelandmotelroomsintohousingunitsforourunshelteredpopulation.
Thankstothoseemergencyresponseprograms,we’veadded4,841newemergencyand
permanenthousingbedsinourtwocitiesalone—takingmeremonthstocompleteaprocess
thatordinarilywouldtakeyears.
Weknowwhat’spossiblewhenwetrulytransformourapproach.Now,weneedtotakethatto
thenextlevel.Weneedtostopnibblingaroundtheedgesandembraceanewvisionthattruly
meetsthemomentandthat’sguidedbyCalifornia’scorevalues.
TheBringCaliforniaHomeplanisthatvision.It’spro-business.Itwillhelpmillionsof
Californians,anditisexactlywhatmayorshaveneededforyears.
Eric Garcetti is a fourth-generation Angeleno and the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles.
Libby Schaaf is the mayor of Oakland, where she was born and raised.