On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) joined other local leaders in a virtual press conference about tackling the homelessness crisis.
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NewsTranscript
00:00$2 million in our encampment resolution fund grants for 20 projects in 17 California communities.
00:09That is amazing. This program helps local communities ensure the safety and well-being
00:18of people experiencing homelessness in encampments. And it's been so incredible
00:25to see the diversity of projects that are being awarded today. These communities commit to
00:31putting people first and provide them with supportive services and allow for pathways
00:37to permanent housing and resolve our encampments across the state. The grants that we are
00:44announcing today will provide support and services to nearly 3,600 people and provide
00:51permanent housing to nearly 2,200 of those individuals. Can we pause on that for a moment?
00:58That's extraordinary. 12 out of these 20 projects are designed to resolve encampments
01:05along the state right-of-way. We don't want our neighbors out there vulnerable,
01:10any more vulnerable than they already are. So this is a really significant component
01:15of the program. And they will address the encampments both in rural and urban areas
01:21throughout the state, from Humboldt counties in the north to Oceanside and Los Angeles counties
01:28in the south. But the common denominator that all of the 17 communities have are strong plans
01:36that help address the unmet need of our unhoused individuals who are living in encampments
01:43and move them to safe and stable housing. Thank you so much to the communities for your efforts
01:50to address homelessness in our state. We are in incredible gratitude of your partnership.
01:58Thank you to the staff of the California Interagency Council on Homelessness for their work
02:04of getting us to this moment and reviewing all of the applications. And it's now my great pleasure
02:09to introduce the San Mateo County Chief Executive, my former partner in crime, Mike Galecki.
02:17Madam Secretary, thank you so much. And this is an incredible day. And I want to take this
02:22opportunity to thank you, Governor Newsom, for all the incredible work that you've done on the
02:28housing and homeless front. Look, I've been at this for more than 40 years in public service,
02:33and I can say there is no one, and I mean no governor that has ever done as much as you have
02:39done on the homeless and housing front. And your vision and commitment as governor of this state,
02:46both financially and morally, has made sure that people live with dignity and safety,
02:54and allowing counties like San Mateo to move forward with projects and initiatives
02:59that move our unsheltered neighbors into permanent housing. And we're doing this
03:04every day because of your efforts. Let me just touch on HomeKey a little bit. The governor's
03:08HomeKey program has already shown great promise in San Mateo County. And anyone who doubts HomeKey,
03:14I want you to come to San Mateo County. I want you to see the 600 people that we've housed.
03:19And this program, this grant that we're receiving today is going to augment those efforts. I want
03:24you to talk to the individuals and the lives that have been changed by these efforts here.
03:30This grant here that we received today is going to expect it to serve hundreds of our most complex,
03:36unsheltered individuals living across 26 encampments. Some of these as big as 15 people
03:43living under bridges, along streams, and along our highways. These camps range in the various sizes,
03:51and we're determined to get these people housed. As we know, many of these people live in tents
03:58and cardboard boxes. Just think about what they went through with the recent storms. They're the
04:02most vulnerable people that we have in this community, and this grant will help us address
04:08those individuals. And many of them have been homeless for years. Some of them chronically
04:12homeless. This will be the first opportunity that they get to get off the streets and get a roof
04:17over their head. The grant is building upon the existing homeless outreach systems of unified
04:22approach that are flexible enough and tailored to individual needs, and we meet people where they're
04:29at. This grant will be a full-service, multidisciplinary teams that go out and engage
04:35these folks, these hot teams that go out and engage them. And certainly it's going to be key
04:41to moving people into interim housing and then permanent housing. The goal is to stabilize the
04:47hard-to-reach population, and we're doing that every day. And I just want to again thank you,
04:52Governor, for all that you're doing here. We will get to functional zero in San Mateo County. I
04:58promise you that with your support. Thank you very much. And now it's my great honor to introduce
05:04San Bernardino Mayor, the Honorable Helen Tran.
05:13I may get you off mute.
05:16Unmute myself. Good morning. Thank you, Mike. Good morning, everyone. I am Mayor Helen Tran,
05:22and I am honored to be here today with Governor Gavin Newsom and distinguished leaders around the
05:27state to discuss important updates regarding the next round of incumbent resolution funding grants
05:33and accountability measures for local homelessness funding from the state.
05:37First, I would like to express my gratitude for this opportunity on behalf of the City of San
05:42Bernardino. The City of San Bernardino has met with a lot of challenges and obstacles with our
05:47homelessness issues. As you may know, the City of San Bernardino has the largest homeless population
05:53in San Bernardino County. Our community is deeply committed to addressing this pressing issue
05:59with compassion, innovation, and collaboration. I'm thrilled that San Bernardino will be receiving
06:06nearly $8 million in incumbent resolution funding. This funding is a significant step
06:11forward in our ongoing efforts to provide essential support and resources to individuals
06:17experiencing homelessness in our city. This funding is a testament to the collaborative
06:23efforts of our local government, community organizations, and dedicated individuals who
06:28work tirelessly to support those experiencing homelessness. It is a reflection of our shared
06:33commitment to compassion, dignity, and practical solutions. I'd like to extend my heartfelt
06:41appreciation to our dedicated staff at the City of San Bernardino, whose tireless efforts are
06:46instrumental in addressing the daily challenges faced by our residents. Their hard work and
06:52unwavering dedication exemplify the spirit of resilience that defines our community as S.B.
06:57Strong. I also want to thank Hafsa Kaka, the Senior Advisor of Homelessness, to the Governor
07:04and his staff for the invaluable support. Thank you for being such an integral partner in our
07:09journey towards creating a more compassionate and inclusive community for all. Most importantly,
07:15I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our Governor Newsom for his unwavering support
07:21and partnership in addressing homelessness. Your leadership, Governor, and dedication to
07:26this cause have been instrumental in securing vital resources for our community. Thank you
07:31for your continued commitment to making a positive impact, and we look forward to our
07:36continued collaboration in building a stronger, more resilient community for all. Thank you again,
07:42and now I would like to turn it over to Los Angeles County CEO, Fecia Davenport.
07:49Thank you, and good morning. Thank you, Governor Newsom, for inviting me to represent the County
07:54of Los Angeles today, and thank you for, thank you to Madam Secretary Moss. I'm happy to have
07:59the opportunity to speak with you about some of the innovative programs now underway, and to thank
08:05you for making continued investments in solutions to address the housing needs of L.A. County
08:11residents. I'd like to talk about our encampment resolution program, which is a critical component
08:16of the County's comprehensive, rapid response under the state of emergency that our Board of
08:22Supervisors declared in January of 2023. Our program, our local program, is called Pathway
08:28Home. By leveraging emergency powers and deepening our partnerships with local jurisdictions,
08:35Pathway Home is a full-circle solution that brings people off the streets into immediately
08:41available housing, accompanied by a comprehensive suite of services, and ultimately into safe,
08:49permanent housing. I'm happy to say that Pathway Home is moving the needle. Since its launch just
08:56eight months ago, 562 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness have been connected
09:02with safe interim housing. 302 dilapidated RVs being used as makeshift shelters have been
09:11removed from public spaces, and 95 people have transitioned into permanent housing. I know that
09:18we in government have a duty to be accountable and to use data to show our accountability,
09:26but the data doesn't always tell the story about people that we are actually helping every day.
09:32I'd like to briefly mention a gentleman named William, a participant in our Pathway Home
09:36program. William was among nearly five dozen people surviving in an RV on the street of LA County,
09:44and he accepted our offer of interim housing during the first RV-focused Pathway Home operation
09:51in late August. He initially stayed at a hotel operated by a county non-profit service provider
09:58where he was connected to benefits and received supportive services, including housing navigation.
10:04Just before Thanksgiving, William and his little dog moved into a permanent home.
10:10William's journey from encampment to apartment, his Pathway Home, took exactly 90 days. William
10:18and others like him are at the heart of Pathway Home here in LA County. They are the reason we do
10:26what we do. So on behalf of William and the County of Los Angeles Governor Newsom, we are grateful
10:32for the continued support of the state. We are eagerly awaiting details on several applications
10:39for partnership, but I can tell you we are poised to put this funding to work immediately. And with
10:46that, I will turn it over to my esteemed colleague, Frank Dyer from Fresno County. Thank you.
10:54Thank you. Well, that was close. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer. And let me just echo a lot of the
11:02comments that have been made about our gratefulness. And I want to say thank you,
11:08Governor, for the investment that you've made in the state of California, specifically in Fresno,
11:14through past allocations of HomeKey dollars and HAP dollars and now IRF dollars with this
11:21announcement. And I want you to know that the, and the media to know that the City of Fresno
11:27has experienced incredible success with past state funds, including these encampment resolution
11:36funds. In fact, we're one of the few large cities in the state of California that have experienced
11:42overall reductions in homelessness, 5.6% last year. And the last three years, we've housed
11:49into permanent housing through shelter with services over 3,445 people. And we could not
11:57have done it without this funding. So we're very, very appreciative of it. It all began with Project
12:04Off-Ramp on our freeways. At one time, we had over 650 people living on our embankments. And
12:12if it were not for these funds, we would not have had the success that we've had. We had over 80%
12:18of those folks accept services. We moved them into shelters that we purchased with HomeKey
12:24dollars, motels that we converted. I can say that over 75% of those people had what we call a safe
12:31exit, and that's people going into permanent housing or moving in with family members.
12:38So those are successes that I don't care what the data says, I can tell you what the successes are
12:43in Fresno. And so, you know, overall, we're very pleased with this. We've received over
12:52$22 million in IRF funding over the last two cycles. And again, that's made a significant
12:58impact on our unhoused population. Services include mental health, shelter, outreach,
13:04permanent housing, and a lot more. And these are services, I can tell you, that are
13:09desperately, desperately needed in the City of Fresno. And like you've heard from other folks,
13:16it's changing lives. And with this third round of funding, we're going to be able to expand our
13:21area of service north of our downtown area. We've already cleaned up our freeways. We have no
13:27homeless people on our freeways in all of Fresno, and I'm proud of that. But we're also going to
13:33expand north of downtown to include the vital business and transit corridors that link our
13:41downtown and our midtown. And this investment will continue, again, to change the lives of
13:48our most vulnerable. Our proposed IRF III funding will add 30 emergency shelter beds,
13:56some on-site mental health services, and housing stability case managers. We'll also continue to
14:04provide 65 emergency shelter beds that are dedicated to the IRF III encampment area.
14:11We'll be expanding our street navigation and outreach team to provide mental health and drug
14:16treatment services. And this funding will help us to secure 100 new rapid rehousing
14:24beds for IRF clients, and that is extremely important to us. And like other mayors
14:31throughout California, we completely understand the importance of accountability
14:37with taxpayer dollars, and we're ready for that accountability. And we want you to know that,
14:43and we're grateful for the support from our state, from you, Governor, specifically.
14:50And I know oftentimes leadership is lonely at the top because people on the outside do not
14:57get to see the successes as we do at the ground level. And we're on the front lines as mayors in
15:03our cities, and we are the ones that are executing, but we could not execute without the funding from
15:10you and the state of California. We know we have plenty of challenges going forward with mental
15:15health, people who are chronically homeless, but I can honestly say as a mayor of this city,
15:21we are well on our way to eliminating homelessness in our city. So it is my honor at this time
15:30to be able to introduce the champion of combating homelessness in the state of California,
15:38somebody, I mean that from the sincerest part of my heart, somebody that has done more to
15:44eliminate homelessness than any other governor in our history, Governor Gavin Newsom.
15:49I appreciate that, Mayor. Thanks for those generous words. Thank you
15:53for your extraordinary example and the great work you're doing. I'll brag on you
15:57some more and to all of the speakers and then all of you that are assembled, the beneficiaries
16:03of your hard work and the beneficiary of that recognition through this very rigorous process
16:11that we go through with a lens of accountability and outcomes through this encampment resolution
16:17program. Just a quick background and reminder, you know, four years ago, we did not set aside
16:23as a state a dollar, not one dollar targeted to encampments specifically. While there was some
16:30money given to cities and counties, it was not specified for its specific use. We put together,
16:36working with the legislature, a $50 million pilot project, and it was called Encampment
16:41Resolution Grant for a reason. It wasn't just about cleaning out or cleaning up encampments.
16:47It was about resolving the underlying issues that reside within and around the encampments.
16:54So there was a rigorous process of actually solving the issue, not just moving the issue
17:00along. That was wildly oversubscribed, that $50 million. We went back in front of the legislature
17:06and we asked for an additional $700 million, all told now, three quarters of a billion dollars
17:12in this program. Today's announcement, $192 million for the 17 communities. We have two,
17:20what we call COCs, five counties, and then 10 cities that are beneficiaries. As Tamika said,
17:27as Madam Secretary said, 2,200 people will be permanently housed, but that's not the whole story.
17:34There is an additional 3,572, roughly 3,600 people that have been identified for specific
17:42services. Again, these applications talk about specific outcomes, specific people, and timelines.
17:50And so we can quantify, on the basis of that application and their approval,
17:55the grant tied to that expectation and tied, as Jerry said, the Mayor said, to our hope
18:03of accountability. And that's really the spirit that defines the moment. This is a program that
18:08works. We want to continue to make investments in this space. We're not able to meet the needs
18:14of all those that have requested and applied for this program, but we want to continue
18:21to apply the pressure to continue to really target in on what's happening on the streets
18:26and sidewalks as a disproportionate priority in this state. People have had it. They're fed up.
18:32I've had it. I'm fed up. I know the Mayors and the City Administrators are fed up as well. None
18:38of us are naive about the expectation that has been set in terms of our constituents. People
18:44want to see these tents and encampments removed, but they want to see them removed in a compassionate
18:50and thoughtful way, and we agree. And so this is a program that I think aligns with that and
18:56certainly a program that builds on success. We also want to build on the success as we were
19:02referencing accountability to the work we've done in housing. A number of years ago, working with
19:06the legislature, we created a housing accountability unit. We've had over 40 actions all across the
19:12state of California. My old hometown in San Francisco and Huntington Beach, Elk Grove,
19:18elsewhere in the state. It's unlocked over 6,000 housing units that otherwise would have
19:24been killed, programs, projects rather, that would have otherwise been killed. It's been very
19:30passionately embraced, enthusiastically embraced by the legislature. We want to take that model on
19:36housing, and we now want to roll homelessness into that unit. We'll be moving 22 existing
19:43personnel, not requesting new people, existing personnel into this new homeless and accountability
19:50unit. We want to really focus in on being partners. It's not about being sparring partners,
19:55but working partners in the beginning of projects and proposals to make sure that we're aligned,
20:01that the city and county and the COCs are aligned with the state and our vision, and we're addressing
20:06issues in real time. It's about technical assistance. It's not just about a punitive
20:10measure on the back end, but we do believe that there needs to be at least some stick on the back
20:16end. And there is a component part, a parallel part of this as well, where we want to roll in
20:21in the next seventh cycle. We refer to it as the RINA cycle, which is basically the housing
20:27planning cycle that we do every few years. The next one's in a few years. We want to make sure
20:32that we're not just planning for housing at all income levels, but that all income levels include
20:37people zero to 15 percent of area median income, that include people 15 to 30 percent of area
20:44median income, low, low income housing, meaning homeless housing as well. So we want to wrap in
20:50to the RINA process now homelessness as well. And with the sanction process that we have in place
20:56under RINA, the sanction process we have in place under the housing element, we also want to create
21:03a framework where there's a judicial process and there is a gradation of sorts of sanctions,
21:11again, in the spirit that we're going to work through any issues. So we're driving results.
21:16We're driving accountability. I say it over and over again, and I appreciate the mayor's comments
21:22about loneliness and not being on top. I feel like I'm on the bottom of all this with the weight
21:28of 478 cities and 58 counties, but really this is a bottom-up, not top-down process. I say it
21:35about everything, but particularly in housing and homelessness, a state vision is realized at the local
21:40level. Localism is determinative, and that's really the spirit of driving this partnership
21:46of accountability. We take that accountability seriously ourselves, but we need to promote
21:52that at the county levels and the city levels as well. Mike is not someone that needs to be told
21:57that. Mike is doing an extraordinary job in San Mateo. Jerry does not need to be told that. He's
22:04done an extraordinary job in Fresno, and Mayor, I appreciate the work in San Bernardino. I love this.
22:10SB Strong, thank you for being here and your passion and partnership in this. In L.A. County,
22:16I mean, look, you got to move the needle. You want to be big, you got to be big in big things,
22:20and that's moving the needle in the biggest county in the state, one of the biggest counties in the
22:23country, and one of the biggest beneficiaries, 50-plus million dollars today, and I thank you
22:30as the CEO of that county for all of your good work and being a great partner with us as well.
22:36So this is about partnership. It's about driving accountability. This is about breathing life
22:44and reinvigorating on what's working and moving the needle and continuing to move the ball
22:49in addressing this issue, and just one final point on all this. I love what the three of you
22:56said something. You said, forget the data, and you didn't say forget the data, but you said
23:00there's something the data doesn't tell you, and you started to tell stories and what lies beneath
23:04that, and so thank you for doing that because so many people are so cynical out there saying, well,
23:10you put all this money, nothing works, and Mike, I appreciate you opened up by saying, hey, I can
23:14give you 600 people right there in the home key. Meet these folks. Don't tell me these programs
23:19aren't working. We know these things work. We know lives are being turned around. It's just
23:24the enormity of the task. We get it, and the need to scale this and the need to have everybody
23:30rowing in the same direction. Final words, and we'll open this up. Look, there are some counties,
23:36not L.A., not San Mateo, I assure you, but there are some counties that don't put a dollar,
23:41not one dollar, of their general fund into addressing the issue of homelessness and housing,
23:46and with respect, some of those counties are the loudest critics on this issue and have big
23:52problems, and what we're going to be asking for is stronger partnerships going forward. I don't
23:58want to take cheap shots, but we've done some deeper dive and analysis here, and we want partners.
24:03We want people with skin in the game. We recognize we have to do more. We have to do better, but we
24:09have to do more and better together, and so that's just a preview as well of things to come, and that
24:15is zero reflection of the folks that just spoke quite the contrary. They're here as exemplars,
24:21as doers, not just dreamers in this endeavor. So, Tamika, thank you for your team and their
24:28objective work. I mean, this is from Humboldt to Santa Barbara County, not just San Mateo and
24:33Fresno City and the city of San Bernardino and L.A. It's Oakland, Los Banos, Chico, Anaheim.
24:40These are projects that we look forward to getting underway very quickly here
24:45with this latest ground, $192 million of encampment resolution grants, and by the way,
24:51this is a way, a pathway to the future, but we also need that pathway to be cleared with that
24:58grants pass case this next Monday, and we're looking forward to our arguments with the Supreme
25:03Court, which also will help us clear the path to more progress in this space. With that, Tamika,
25:09we'll come back to you, and Izzy, look forward to answering any questions. Thank you, Governor.
25:17Go ahead, Secretary. No, Izzy, I was just going to say thank you, Governor, and pass it to you.
25:23Thank you, Secretary. We'll now transition to the Q&A portion of the program. If you are a member
25:28of the media and you would like to ask a question, please click the raise hand icon at the bottom of
25:33your screen, and then unmute yourself when called upon. Again, if you would like to ask a question,
25:38please click the raise hand icon, and then go ahead and unmute yourself when called upon.
25:45Once unmuted, please restate your name and outlet before asking your question,
25:50and do indicate if your question is directed at a specific. With that, we'll go ahead and select
25:56our first person in the queue, which is Alex Michaelson. Alex, you should be able to unmute
26:02yourself. Hi, Governor. Thank you so much, and thank you, Izzy. Alex Michaelson from Fox 11 News here.
26:10Can you state in a real simple way how this money is going to tangibly improve people's
26:18communities? What are they actually going to see in their neighborhood due to this money? And as a
26:24follow-up, sort of on a point you're already making, but you know that especially when it
26:29comes to cities and counties, we have seen repeatedly more money thrown at this issue,
26:34and the issue getting worse. Why is it different this time? Why should we trust everybody this time?
26:40Yeah, well, the Camden Resolution Grants are the manifestation of accountability because they
26:46require specific prescriptive outcomes. They require a specific analysis to be done in terms
26:53of what the needs are of the population that we are trying to support, and they also address the
26:59issues of the quality of people's lives, and that goes to your question about tangible. It's not
27:06what you see. It's what you don't see. It's cleaning up these encampments. It's cleaning
27:11these sidewalks, taking the sidewalk backs, cleaning them up though permanently by not just
27:16pushing things from one part of town to the other part of town or out of town and addressing the
27:22issue of mental health and substance abuse and housing needs, and that analysis has to be done
27:28in advance of the application being approved, and we will not approve an application without
27:34stress testing that those programs are set up and all they're missing now is resources
27:39to actually produce the results, so that's what's fundamentally different in this program.
27:45And I don't know if, you know, L.A. County, we could talk a little bit more about some of the
27:48specifics that you've got. I mean, all of you have this specific program that you have,
27:54you know, that you've applied for. Maybe you could talk more specific about a specific street
28:00and a specific encampment that you'll be cleaning up with these dollars.
28:04Thank you, Governor Newsom, and thank you for the question. So for our particular grant, we have
28:10for our particular grant, we have identified over seven cities along our 105 corridor
28:19that we will be working with to place in interim housing about 600 people,
28:25and I absolutely agree with you, Governor Newsom. It's about what you don't see. We realize that
28:31this is the fundamental crisis of our time, and it has quality of life impacts every day,
28:38and so we want to lessen, mitigate, eliminate the impact of homelessness on our communities
28:45as people are walking to school, going to church, getting off the freeway,
28:48walking into the local business. We want them to be able to enjoy the benefits of living in
28:55L.A. County and the cities in L.A. County while we are simultaneously ensuring that people are
29:01housed and then ultimately permanently housed. Under our Pathway Home Program, I did mention
29:06this earlier, but we have also housed many folks from interim housing to permanent housing
29:13in addition to providing the services that they need to stay housed, and so it is a tangible,
29:20a very tangible benefit and impact here in L.A., and I would just lastly add that the Pathway Home
29:27Program is just one of many programs that are in our arsenal to combat homelessness.
29:36Thank you. Pardon me.
29:39Oh, and forgive me. That final point is an important point, and I'll try to be
29:44as succinct as I can. This is one tool in the toolkit, and, you know, look, I think
29:50you think about what we've done just the last couple years. Care Court, conservatorship reform,
29:55this Mental Health Service Act reform with the accountability that's a component part of the
29:59Mental Health Services Act reform, a focus on prevention, a focus on housing that will be
30:03redirected in that space, the new bond money. You're going to be hearing a lot more about that
30:08and the new strike teams, and that's all about accountability, time to delivery,
30:12and different strategies in terms of getting these units up and operationalized at half
30:17the cost of some of our longer-term traditional bond projects. You look at all of the other
30:23support and component parts that have been unleashed. It really is a different paradigm,
30:28and so I thought your question is spot on. It's the right question. It's the one we ask
30:33ourselves every single day, but I really think what's great about this program in particular,
30:38this one is targeted. It's specific. It's tangible. You can see it, and you see it in real time.
30:46Real lives change. The dollars go directly. It's not about subsidizing or failing more efficiently,
30:51subsidizing existing programs. This is about specific outcomes, specific targets out on the
30:57streets and sidewalks. You'll drive by something one day, and it's gone the next, and that's what
31:01people want more of. Our next question goes to Eitan Wallace. Eitan, please unmute yourself.
31:11Thanks, Izzy. Thanks, everybody, and the governor for taking the time. First of all,
31:14just to whoever is doing the screen settings, listen, I work behind the scenes every day. Thank
31:19you for what you do. I know it's not easy. If possible, I'd just kindly ask when the governor
31:23is speaking any chance to just keep it on him instead of the 20 screens if possible. It's just
31:28better for broadcast. I thank you, thank you, thank you. I know it's a logistical matter.
31:32Thanks, everybody. That was probably me, Eitan. I was probably trying to get myself off the screen.
31:39Very funny, Mr. Governor. Just very quickly, I'm going to ask,
31:43kind of related to Alex's question there, Mr. Governor, I know that that audit just came out.
31:49I know there's a lot in that audit. I did speak to Democrats and Republicans, so
31:53concerned about that audit in the sense of not tracking at least all the dollars and how
32:00they've been, the results they've led to. What was your reaction upon seeing that audit? And
32:05what do you want the people of California to know in terms of this funding you're announcing today,
32:09how you will track this? Well, the reason we're doing this homeless now and housing
32:16accountability unit in many respects is responsive specifically to that audit.
32:21It is all about accountability. It's driving that accountability at the local level. As you know,
32:25anyone who read that audit, it's primarily about the data at the local level that's not being
32:30collected. It's difficult. And that's, I get it's hard for everybody. The pressures we put on,
32:35there's new money in this space. And so we've been driving a lot of progress and reforms,
32:39and we need everybody to catch up. And so the housing accountability unit, the new arena goals,
32:44the new sanction components, the judicial review process, that's all component parts of what we're
32:49proposing. The 22 existing staff that are being reprogrammed and prioritized in this accountability
32:55space, again, I think is very responsive to the audit. Nothing in that audit though, fundamentally
33:00to your question, surprised me. This has been a point, it's been a mantra. You've been hearing me
33:04say this for the last few years, we've got to drive this accountability agenda. And I hope folks know
33:10when they passed prop one, they did a big component part of that. That was all about
33:15accountability. In one of the biggest areas of investment, and that's the 3 plus $4 billion a
33:22year in the Mental Health Services Act space that now has new planning components, new oversight,
33:28new auditing components that didn't exist before the voters adopted and approved them. So we're
33:35very, very mindful. And that's, I think, the spirit of the announcement today, and certainly the
33:39spirit more broadly of the announcement that we'll advance to codify, look to advance and codify
33:46with the legislature on the homeless accountability and the arena reforms.
33:52The next reporter in the queue is Sophia Bolag. Sophia, if you could please unmute yourself.
33:58Hi Governor, Sophia Bolag from the San Francisco Chronicle. I wanted to ask you about a little
34:03bit more detail about this homelessness accountability unit that's going to be part
34:08of the housing accountability unit. What kind of housing specifically is going to be required
34:14under these new RHNA guidelines? Is it going to be permanent supportive housing, shelters, SROs,
34:20tiny homes? Like what would qualify and what are you hoping to see more of as part of this new push?
34:27Well, I'm blessed to have the Secretary who's quite literally drafting the detailed response to
34:35that. And let's ask Tamika to respond to that more specifically as she's in the middle of that
34:41process as we speak. Sure. So to begin with, it's going to include our HAP funding program,
34:52which is the resources that we provide to local jurisdictions to address all manners of housing,
35:00both interim, permanent, prevention services. These are very flexible dollars that jurisdictions
35:07are utilizing locally to address the crisis. And so to begin with, the unit is really going to be
35:13focused on that revenue stream and making sure that those dollars are going to communities.
35:22And we're really seeing this sort of reductions that we expect to see. I think, you know,
35:26as the governor said, we are beginning this process and the 22 staff that he referenced
35:34will certainly be integrated with our housing accountability unit. And those folks in particular
35:42will be overseeing the grants program for the HAP funding to begin with. And that has a broad
35:48range of housing options that are eligible within that funding pot. But I think that, you know,
35:54that's the other piece to this puzzle, right, is that we are not just looking at one resource
36:00and one tool. We're really trying to be much more coordinated across all of the funding streams that
36:07relate to our homelessness and housing investments and making sure that we have metrics and can drive
36:13results locally and at the state level. So more to come on that, but that's where we're starting.
36:18And one of the things, just on this, Sophia, one of the things we decided to do, and we've
36:24been working with a number of legislative leaders as well in terms of this broader issue around
36:30accountability, as you know, we required under the HAP these broad strokes accountability plans
36:35that have six specific metrics. There's a bonus, there's component parts. We want to take that
36:41next level of enforcement that's the existing program that we have for housing, and we don't
36:46want to reinvent the wheel. I think that's what's wonderful about this, the ability to sort of plug
36:50in to an existing and successful program, at least broadly, we're still iterating on the housing
36:58accountability. I'm not being naive about that, but we want to build off that success and that
37:03integration, the housing and homeless components, the oversight of these grant funds at a deeper
37:08and richer level than just having these annual plans that we review that's more dynamic and has
37:14an iterative day-in, day-out process is at the point that's missing. And so I think that's the
37:19spirit that we're going to bring to this, and that allows us to hit the ground running as well,
37:23so we don't have to set up a whole new system, a new set of programs.
37:27Will those metrics include measurements of actual homeless populations in communities,
37:33like, and if so, how would you measure that? Would those be through point-in-time counts,
37:37or is there some other metric you would rely on?
37:39Well, you can talk about it, Tameka. We have those as existing component parts of the broader
37:43homeless accountability plans, but maybe you could talk more specifically.
37:46Yes. So we are, point-in-time counts is one of the data sets. We also have our
37:53HDIS data system, which is the state's system that coordinates 44 COCs across the
38:02the state of California's data around individual people being served, how many,
38:10you know, housing crises are we literally interrupting for individual people. So
38:16it's that level of specificity that we are expanding the accountability for. So yes,
38:23it's tracking how many folks are housed. It's tracking how long they're housed,
38:28what solutions were, and services were provided to those individuals and households. So we have
38:35that level of data that we've been refining over the last couple of years.
38:41Could cities lose funding from the state if their homeless populations don't decrease?
38:49Well, look, we can, it's a fair question. I'm not interested in funding failure any longer.
38:54So I'm going to speak for myself. There's one guy that's got three more appropriation cycles
39:00in front of him. I want to see results. Everybody wants to see results. I want to say, and I want
39:06to prioritize, humbly, I submit the reason we're highlighting this is self-evident because this is
39:11a great program and it's working and it's a limited amount of money. I think there's a reason
39:16there's so many folks, the recipients on the call today. Encampments, what's happening on the streets
39:24has to be a top priority. People have to see and feel the progress and the change. And if they're
39:30not or counties are turning their back or aren't participating in funding, I'm not interested
39:35in continuing the status quo. This is not about the status quo ante, quite the contrary. And again,
39:41part of Prop 1 and the new plan requirements on all funding sources and streams as it relates
39:46to mental health, those plans have purpose and there's an audit and oversight function
39:51and there has to be and will be accountability. And I've made this clear with the legislature.
39:56The legislature's made it clear to me. We're going to take much more oversight, more scrutiny in
40:01existing programs. We want to see, we don't want to see this money supplant other money that was
40:05going to be used or wasn't used for this or that. There's a lot of, I'm not interested in the games
40:09here. You know, as I say, folks are on here, people that talked are here talking for a reason because
40:14they're the real doers. They're the best practices in this state. And we want resolve, but we want
40:20results. And again, this housing accountability unit is working. And so this is not, we're not
40:26just papering this over by bringing homelessness in. This means we mean business and this arena
40:31frame allows us that hammer as well. And as you know, Sophia, you've been writing a lot about
40:38what we have as it relates to those sanctions. Just ask the folks at Huntington Beach. They've
40:41been playing us for fools for years and years and years. And I hope you quote that. And we're in
40:46court, we're litigating with them. We mean business down at Huntington Beach. These guys
40:49are playing politics. And so we mean business in terms of really driving accountability now
40:57because this is fundamental. The fate and future of this state is affordability. I care about this
41:02state. I care about our reputation. I care that people can't afford to live here, can't afford
41:06to raise their family here. I care that people visit here and go, what the hell's going on with
41:10encampments and what's going on in the streets and sidewalks? And so this, I got three more years.
41:17We've raised our game in this state. We've done more than administration decades to address
41:24these issues. And now we need partners, not sparring partners. We need more Jerry Dyers.
41:29You know, we need more mayors that just get it and get things done and don't play politics.
41:34And you know, and so that's, I want to fund that. I want to fund more of that,
41:40less of the folks that just sit there and, you know, act like they're passive victims in this
41:46effort and forgive it, forgive me, but you know, this triggers a lot of intensity for me because
41:52it's about people's lives. People are dying on our watch. People are dying on the streets
41:57and we all have a responsibility to do better. All of us, not just the state. It's not about
42:02blaming folks, pointing fingers anymore. All of us, accountability, drive accountability,
42:08get out there. Let's get this stuff fixed. Let's clean up our streets,
42:12save people's lives. Let's meet the public where they are.
42:18Governor, if I might add to a couple of things you said there, you know, because I think oftentimes
42:23we only point to who's out on our streets and we don't look at the success that we've had, but
42:30there's a number of other things that are contributing to the homeless population with
42:34inflation and the cost of living and energy cost and more people being confronted with
42:41the reality of being forced out onto the streets. And then mental health is real. Drug abuse, drug
42:48addiction is real. And some of those things we do not have total control of. You don't, I don't at
42:55the local level, but the reality is we're being held accountable at the local level every single
43:01day by the folks in this community that are calling my office about the homeless population.
43:07So I want to make sure that, you know, from the outside, the media understands
43:13that we welcome accountability for those things that we're responsible for. How many people are
43:21we helping off the streets? How many people are we getting into shelter, providing counseling and
43:26services to? How many of them are we moving into permanent housing? I think those are the things
43:32that we need to demonstrate and we will demonstrate and have demonstrated, but we have had tremendous
43:39success as a state and it's unfortunate. I think at times it's frustrating at every single level
43:45for people to be critical when they haven't seen the successes. They don't know the true
43:49numbers of people we've housed. Over 3,400 in Fresno in three years, those are real numbers.
43:55Those are real lives have been transformed and changed and so I share your passion. I appreciate
44:00your passion. Thanks man. The next reporter in the queue is Jeremy White. Jeremy, if you could
44:07please unmute yourself. Hey Governor, thanks for making some time for us today. I'm sure you were
44:11sensing a theme with these questions, but I think we're all interested in this in light of the audit
44:16that found that the state was having trouble tracking outcomes for this specific encampment
44:21resolution grants program. I understand you said that there is going to be more rigor in the
44:26conditions that cities and counties lay out when they're applying for these grants. What about on
44:30the back end? If you've determined that they've spent it improperly, they haven't made a difference,
44:34is there some sort of penalty? I mean that money obviously can't be clawed back, so what happens
44:40if somebody gets this money and you determine that? They get another penny if they didn't use the money
44:47wisely. So I want to make sure Tameka and her team that are scoring these
44:52look at those next applications and say no thank you. I don't think that's even a very complicated
44:57response. And a follow-up question. I think you touched on the fact that the Boise case is likely
45:04to go before this, excuse me, is going before the Supreme Court on Monday. What's your level
45:08of concern that an adverse ruling here could prevent cities and counties from being able to
45:12use this money effectively? Are you going to wait on putting some of that money out the door until
45:16you see how the High Court acts? No, no. This Encampment Resolution grant addresses a lot of
45:21those concerns as it relates to Boise and grants passed. That said, we still need the flexibility
45:28and the common sense that would be provided under a more lenient interpretation. That's
45:34why we did the amicus brief. That's why we'll be tuning in to the oral arguments on Monday,
45:39and we're hopeful. But we can't wait. We're not going to wait. To your question specifically,
45:43we cannot wait. People are fed up. They want to see action and no more
45:51scapegoating or finger-pointing. This is a real issue. The impediments under grants passed
45:58and the courts have imposed, it's a real issue. It's not us abdicating however responsibility.
46:05We will be creative regardless of the outcome. This creativity that's
46:10imbued in this program is a perfect proof point of that.
46:14Thanks, Governor. Thanks. Our next reporter in the queue is Lindsay Holden. Lindsay,
46:18if you could please unmute yourself. Hi, this is Lindsay Holden from the Sacramento Bee.
46:24I'm just kind of following up on some stuff Sophia asked. Are you suggesting that jurisdictions use
46:30HAP money to meet the new remittance goals? And will the new accountability unit eventually apply
46:37to all of the state's other programs, the Encampment Resolution grants, HomeKey, etc.?
46:42Or is it eventually? It sounds like you're just focusing on HAP right now.
46:46Well, it's HAP plus from my perspective. It's homelessness, period. It's homelessness and
46:50housing, homelessness and housing. And we'll broadly define, we'll fill in the blanks,
46:54we'll work with the legislature. We can move some of this very easily through the process,
47:01through executive actions, RE-ORG. And then there'll be a legislative process that we'll
47:05undertake as it relates to more of the sanctions regime under ARENA framework,
47:09very similar to what we've done on housing. And we'll work with the legislature on that.
47:15Okay. Just to quickly follow up on that topic, counties have asked for a more consistent
47:20funding stream that's not awarded just year by year, especially in regard to HAP.
47:25Is that something you would consider? Well, they're getting it as it relates to
47:29the Mental Health Services Act, a million dollars to the issue of housing, period. I don't know
47:33what they're referring to beyond that. That's an extraordinary amount of money, predictable
47:39source of new funding to the counties, a third of that money on an annual basis.
47:43So look, I love counties. I love my cities. I was a former county mayor. I was a former city mayor.
47:52Let's go. We work with folks every day. We continue to work and iterate more tools in
47:59the toolbox than ever. Let's go on conservatorship. Let's move. You don't have to wait.
48:04Let's go on care court. You don't have to wait. Resources are there. Let's have a resourceful
48:07mindset. It's not about to the point. It's not just about spending more money here.
48:12It's about accountability at all levels. And we listen to the counties that housing,
48:17predictability and funding on an annual basis was important. There's a billion plus reasons
48:22that I can point to on an annual basis that I think they should be enthusiastic about that
48:26new redirected opportunity. Our next reporter in the queue is Ashley Zavala.
48:34Ashley, if you could please unmute yourself.
48:38Hi, Governor. Ashley Zavala with KCRA. I have already had my housing and homelessness
48:45questions answered. So I have an off topic one for you about some activity in the legislature
48:50this week. Senator Shannon Grove's bill to go after the consumers of the child sex trafficking
48:58industry faced what some might consider hostile amendments changes to exclude 16 and 17 year olds
49:06from being protected under that proposal. I wonder if you planned on getting involved at all in this
49:12discussion this year, as you did last year on any of this? Well, let's suggest we weren't involved
49:18in least trying to get it out of committee. And so we got it out. It's out of committee. I applaud
49:24the author, co-authors as well. And I applaud Senator Grove for the work she did last year.
49:31And I appreciate your reference to the work Speaker Rivas did on that as well to get that bill
49:38to my desk. And I look forward to getting this bill to my desk in a way that I'll sign it. We
49:43have some work to do, but I deeply appreciate the direction that Senator Grove is going. And
49:51I'm mindful that those three amendments, one in particular, that there's some work to do.
49:59Thank you. Thank you. Our next question goes to Sean Hubler at the New York Times. Sean,
50:05please unmute yourself. Yeah. Hello, Governor. You spoke a little about the grants pass case
50:12that the Supreme Court is going to be hearing next week. I wonder if you can talk a little
50:16bit more about the importance of getting that clarity from the court. And I'm also interested
50:20what does it say that in calling for the court to weigh in as California has that the state is now
50:26aligned with a lot of conservative organizations and officials, places like the Goldwater Institute
50:31and so on? Yeah, I don't know about the latter part of that question. We're just aligned with
50:36common sense. To me, this is not ideological. This is, you know, just frankly, it's about
50:43there's a morality to this. I've been on the front lines of this for years and years and years,
50:47as I said, as former not just mayor, but also a county supervisor and as governor directly,
50:53as it relates to trying to clean up encampments myself. You see me out there in the streets. You
50:57see me out there in overpasses. And we had direct issues in Oakland when I was out trying to clean
51:04up four encampments there. I was told we couldn't do it. Made no sense to me. I said, where's the
51:07compassion? I was there with my my my non homeless, homeless czar, Jason Elliott, our right hand here
51:17in the governor's office. And I mean, we still have nightmares around one of the encampments
51:24where I think felt like a scene out of one of Raiders of Lost Ark, where, you know, thousands
51:31and thousands of rats appeared running all around us around us, you know, felt like up our sleeves.
51:37I think we were exaggerating our own quiet panic, needles strewn everywhere, feces everywhere,
51:44no compassion, no compassion whatsoever, leaving people in those conditions when we had an
51:49alternative. But the judge was saying, you can't use that alternative because of this court ruling.
51:54So it's very frustrating. This is, to me, just about common sense, not about ideology.
52:05Thank you, Governor. Our final question goes to
52:07Janie Haar. Janie, if you could please unmute yourself.
52:16Hi, it's Janie Haar from AP. And I wanted to quickly check the 192 million you guys are
52:23talking about today that comes from the 750 million already appropriated. Okay. And then
52:31if I could ask about the enforcement part. It sounds like you want eventually that this new
52:37unit in the AG's office to audit and enforce cities that are spending money on homelessness
52:46to make sure that they're doing what they're what they say they're doing. Is that correct?
52:50Well, producing outcomes, do what certainly what they're saying they're doing to work
52:54in advance of the grant process in real time to address technical assistance and needs. I'll give
52:59you a proof point. And Tamika, you could talk more about this since you run the unit at HCD.
53:05The work we're doing on housing just as a corollary, we look at planning commission notes,
53:11we anticipate the meetings and hearings. We work with local planning directors and county
53:18administrators and others to make sure that our voice is heard in real time that it's shared.
53:25There's notice to try to avoid as many surprises as we can in that process would be a similar
53:30process here. As these dollars are put forth, the grant process is not just a notice of funding
53:37availability. But when the grants are actually released, that we have real time engagement.
53:42And it's not after the fact or after an audit produces some sub optimal results, perhaps to
53:48make you can talk more prescriptively or specifically rather. I think you just hit the
53:54nail on the head, Governor, about the technical assistance that we're really excited to bring,
54:00intensify, in fact, to this process. You know, the fact of the matter is we want our cities and
54:07counties and our state to succeed. We've talked about it all morning. No one wins when we are not
54:14able to address the homelessness crisis in our communities. And so leaning in in real time,
54:20providing that technical assistance, as well as real time problem solving and accountability.
54:29Having come from a region where working with local and county governments was my primary job,
54:35I know that communities want that. And so this is our opportunity to deepen this partnership,
54:40as the governor's been referencing. And not only do the technical assistance, but when we see
54:47folks not performing, that there's a consequence to that. And I think that that is both an exciting
54:54component of this work, because it means mutual accountability. And I know folks
54:58around the state are excited for that. And then if I could follow up with the
55:04housing element kind of situation. So you would also then require cities and counties to plan for
55:12super low additional housing. And if they did not follow through,
55:18the AG's office could take action, sue them in court.
55:23Yeah, ultimately, we'd like to apply the similar process of judicial process and review as it
55:29relates to what we've already worked with the legislature to advance on housing. So it would
55:36be a similar construct again in the seventh, the next arena cycle.
55:41Governor, with that, we are at time. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thanks for the
55:49patience and all of you. And thank you. And congrats. Again, this is not our work. This is
55:55the work of those that submitted these applications and their expertise and leadership. And we're
56:03blessed with four extraordinary leaders that joined us and shared their voice. And we're
56:09really grateful for that and for them. And we look forward to more to come on this space.
56:16Thank you all very much for being with us today.