The California Big City Mayors Coalition convened Wednesday in San Francisco for the first-ever C13 Summit about efforts in the state’s largest cities on homelessness, housing and economic development.
The municipal chief executives met for “a full day of discussion and collaboration,” representing more than 11 million Californians, according to the coalition. The mayors used this first-of-its-kind gathering to further a shared vision for addressing the state’s most urgent challenges.
“Across our 13 cities, we see firsthand the challenges of homelessness, housing affordability, and economic opportunity,” coalition Chair and Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. “While each of our cities has made meaningful progress, there is still much more work to be done. Today’s summit marks a new chapter of collaboration and action. The California Big City Mayors are united in purpose and focused on results, but we cannot do it alone. We call on the governor and the Legislature to stand with us in partnership to deliver real, lasting solutions for Californians.”
Homelessness
Sustained investments in homelessness solutions yield real results, according to the coalition. Mayors have asked Gov. Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature for $1 billion in ongoing funding for the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention, or HHAP program.
Funding from the program’s first four rounds have added more than 17,700 shelter and housing beds, served over 152,000 individuals experiencing homelessness and created nearly 2,300 new permanent housing units, officials said.
The coalition highlighted San Diego’s 14% drop in homelessness and San Francisco’s 85% decrease in tents over the last five years. With 5,000 new housing units on tap supported with HHAP funds, maintaining this investment is essential to keep progress moving forward, the mayors emphasized. Stronger regional collaboration with counties to build on these results, they added, in addition to calling for accountability to remain a focal point.
The mayors called for consistent statewide targets to ensure every municipality is making measurable progress to reduce homelessness.
“In Los Angeles, homelessness has decreased two years in a row — for the first time in our city’s history — because we chose to act with urgency and reject the broken status quo of leaving people on the street until housing was built,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “These results aren’t just data points, they represent thousands of Angelenos who are now inside. I am proud to stand with my fellow mayors from cities throughout the state to call for the investments and partnerships we need to continue building on this momentum and creating real change across California.”
Housing affordability and opportunity
On housing production, the mayors pledged their commitment to lowering costs, freeing-up investment and opening more paths to homeownership. According to the coalition, California’s continuous and severe housing shortage is partially the result of state policies that have increased construction costs and developer liability.
The coalition seeks to remove regulatory barriers that slow construction and increase costs, in an attempt to make the state can once again able to build enough residences to make rents reasonable and homeownership attainable, officials said.
The mayors are also exploring new funding options to spur housing production, including a statewide housing bond and enhanced financing mechanisms to better leverage Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
“In the city of Irvine, we are advancing our Irvine Cares initiative to provide housing for homeless students and their families, while also prioritizing affordable housing for those most in need,” Mayor Larry Agran said in a statement. “We are also investing in our future workforce through the One Irvine Workforce program, which offers public sector apprenticeships funded by California Volunteers. These efforts show what’s possible when cities step up, but we cannot do it alone. At this summit, I stand with my fellow mayors to call on the State to partner with us in delivering real, lasting change for the people of California.”
Economic development
To sustain California’s position as the world’s fourth-largest economy and remain competitive nationally and globally, the mayors underscored the need for a business climate that supports innovation and job creation, so that the state can attract and retain the industries of the future.
The mayors identified high operating costs as a significant challenge for employers and expressed their intent to work with the Governor and Legislature to reduce barriers for emerging industries while also taking proactive measures to retain and grow existing businesses. This includes exploring tax and regulatory reforms, modernizing infrastructure, and streamlining permitting processes to ensure California continues to lead the world in innovation, growth, and opportunity.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said the city “has successfully attracted businesses and jobs through our Grow Long Beach initiative, which has expanded our economy into aerospace, aviation, advanced manufacturing, and tourism. But California needs to stay competitive with other states,” Richardson said in a statement. “That is why the Big City Mayors are coming together to identify how we can lower the high costs of doing business, tell the California story and aggressively recruit the businesses that provide the good paying jobs of tomorrow.”
The mayors called on Newsom and the Legislature “to take bold, coordinated action.” Solutions to homelessness and the housing crisis, as well as the state’s economic development strategy, “must meet this critical moment to deliver results that ensure long-term opportunity and stability for California residents.”
The mayors released a new agenda for actions that reflect the legislative and local priorities for local economies, housing and homeless services.
“This agenda serves as a roadmap for partnership with the Governor and Legislature to ensure California remains a place of opportunity, innovation, and shared prosperity.
Big City Mayors are from cities with a population over 300,000 — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim, Stockton, Riverside and Irvine.
