California's 'Big City Mayors' Support Annual $1 Billion Budget For Homelessness
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) - More than a dozen mayors from the California's largest cities issued a statement in support of a $1 billion annual budget allocation for homelessness.
The so-called 'Big City Mayors' coalition includes leaders of Los Angeles, San Diego, San José, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim, Riverside, Santa Ana, and Stockton.
The mayors praised successful programs that are already being implemented to support the unhoused population, such as emergency cabins, temporary housing and rent assistance, but warned they are heading for a "collective fiscal cliff."
"Without significant direct flexible funding to local communities-- outlined in the legislature's budget proposal of $1 billion annually for the next four years-- for ongoing operations and supportive services at these sites, we face the unconscionable reality of pushing thousands of our neighbors back into the streets," said the statement.
The mayors added that how California address the current homeless crisis will "define our generation's legacy."