California cities are not the obstacle to reducing and preventing homelessness, says Cal Cities

Contact: Kayla Sherwood
ksherwood@calcities.org
(530) 844-1744

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sacramento - Following the release of Gov. Gavin Newsom's revised 2025-26 budget proposal, League of California Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman issued the following statement:

"Both state and local governments alike are facing a tough budget climate and fiscal uncertainty. That's why Cal Cities is laser-focused on three state budget priorities: investing in ongoing funding for homelessness, improving public safety, and protecting investments in climate change. The Governor's May Revision fails to invest in any of these.

California cities are not the obstacle to reducing and preventing homelessness. This crisis has deep roots and won't be resolved without a partnership between state and local governments. The homelessness crisis plays out in our cities because that is where the majority of Californians live.

Here are two of the barriers for cities: a lack of ongoing funding and coordination with state agencies. Nearly 40% of our cities cite coordinating with the state as a barrier to addressing encampments. The Governor's proposal includes zero funding for the Housing, Homeless Assistance and Prevention grant program to support cities' efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness in our communities.

When the voters decisively approved Prop. 4, they authorized $10 billion to make our communities more resilient to the impacts of a changing climate by investing in programs for water recycling and flood risk reduction, vegetation management, home hardening for wildfire mitigation, protection against extreme heat, and clean energy programs. The Governor's proposal goes against the will of the voters by diverting these essential funds to other programs.

Finally, when voters in all 58 counties overwhelmingly passed Prop. 36, they did so with an expectation that state and local governments would implement the measure to improve the safety of their communities. The Governor's proposal fails to deliver on that promise.

As the budget process continues, Cal Cities looks forward to working with the Governor and Legislature to ensure city priorities are included in the final budget."

Established in 1898, the League of California Cities is a nonprofit statewide association that advocates for cities with the state and federal governments and provides education and training services to elected and appointed city officials.

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