TOMORROW: Candidates for Governor to discuss top city priorities at Cities Gubernatorial Forum

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

Over 400 city officials will converge at the Capitol to advocate for city priorities and celebrate Cities Week

Sacramento — The League of California Cities will host its first-ever nonpartisan Cities Gubernatorial Forum tomorrow, bringing together candidates for Governor and over 400 city officials for an important conversation about the issues most important to cities, including housing and homelessness, public safety, climate change, and more.

Scott Shafer, senior politics and government editor at KQED and co-host of the award-winning podcast Political Breakdown, will moderate the conversation. Shafer will also delve into leadership, values, and the person behind each candidate, offering a deeper understanding of their potential partnership with cities. The event will be livestreamed, and media are welcome to attend the event in-person.

The Cities Gubernatorial Forum is occurring as part of the City Leaders Summit, where over three days, city officials will advocate on key legislation and three city priorities in the state budget: restoring funding to the state’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grant program, fully implementing the voter-approved Prop. 36, and devoting Cap-and-Invest dollars to clean fleet transitions and organic waste diversion. Cal Cities will also release new survey data highlighting how cities are responding to the homelessness crisis in their communities.

City officials are also recognizing California Cities Week, a celebration to recognize the many ways that our diverse cities make life better in California. To mark the week, Assembly Member Blanca Pacheco is authoring the resolution, ACR 143, which has become an annual statewide acknowledgement of the vital role cities play in our lives and the public officials who power them.

Cities Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
April 23, 2026
11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
SAFE Credit Union Convention Center

Watch the livestream or the recording

If media are interested in attending the Cities Gubernatorial Candidate Forum contact Kayla Sherwood at ksherwood@calcities.org to register.

League of California Cities City Leaders Summit
April 22-24, 2026
SAFE Credit Union Convention Center

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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