Listen to voters and fund what matters, city officials tell lawmakers
By Brian Hendershot, Cal Cities Advocate managing editor
City officials rallied outside the Capitol on Wednesday chanting, “Fund it now.” The group of roughly 100 local leaders gathered to urge lawmakers to help cities fund affordable housing and reduce homelessness, implement the voter-approved Proposition 36, and provide the climate investments promised by Proposition 4.
“These priorities are critical for the well-being of our residents and are backed by voters,” said Cal Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman. “But they require a strong partnership and investment from the state.”
In many communities, people are falling into homelessness faster than cities can connect them to services and housing. Despite this, the Governor’s 2025-26 state budget proposal includes zero new funding to help cities address homelessness or boost affordable housing — including the state’s existing, flagship homeless prevention program.
“We can't solve systemic challenges with unpredictable resources,” said Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson. “Funding uncertainty leaves cities unable to sufficiently plan for the future.”
She noted that state funding has helped the city of Riverside achieve functionally zero youth homelessness. “We're proving that when cities are empowered with the tools and funding they need, solving this crisis becomes possible,” Dawson said.
New survey data from Cal Cities shows that eight in ten cities are using General Fund dollars to address encampments in their communities. However, only one in five cities has access to state funding to address encampments. Cities cite a lack of services, funding, and coordination with state agencies as the biggest barriers when addressing encampments.
This is particularly troublesome for smaller cities like Bellflower, which have tighter budgets and less staffing capacity. The city has allocated $9 million in General Fund dollars to emergency housing and outreach services. To date, the city has only received sporadic assistance from the state.
“The cost of solving problems cannot be left to small cities,” said Bellflower Council Member Victor Sanchez. “We simply cannot sustain that level of funding to support the programs we already have in place. I urge the Governor and the Legislature to work alongside cities that have taken proactive steps to empower and support those that are embracing local responsibility rather than shifting the blame.”
Cities also called on the state to direct funds in the budget to help implement Prop. 36, an initiative that provides more tools for cities to improve the safety of their communities.
“The voters made it loud and clear that they want to see accountability: The Governor and the Legislature need to do their job and fund Proposition 36,” said Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen. “Let me be very clear. We are not returning to an era of mass incarceration. We are returning to an era that we require mass treatment and mass accountability.”
Cities also urged lawmakers to reject a proposal by Gov. Gavin Newsom to shift funding from the $10 billion voter-approved climate bond to backfill the state’s General Fund deficit. If approved by the Legislature, investments in water recycling and flood risk reduction, vegetation management, home hardening, and extreme heat and clean energy programs are all at stake.
“If the state redirects Prop. 4 funds, it not only disrespects the democratic process — it undermines the will of the voters who showed up and made their voices very clear and we want to be heard,” said Santa Rosa Council Member Natalie Rogers. “More importantly, it puts our communities at great risk.”
Santa Rosa is one of the many communities in California devasted by increasingly destructive wildfires over the past decade. “It's not about convenience,” Rogers said. “It's about health, equity, and basic human dignity.”
Cal Cities President Lynne B. Kennedy closed out the rally by reminding lawmakers that the state made a promise. Now, it’s time to act.
“We are California cities, and we will be heard,” Kennedy concluded.