Sen. Nancy Skinner Applauds Gov. Newsom’s Call to Make Homelessness and Housing Our Top Priorities

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, issued the following statement today on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2020 State of the State Address:

“Gov. Newsom’s second State of the State address appropriately focused on the soul-wrenching issue of California’s homelessness and housing crisis. I look forward to partnering with the governor in moving forward concrete actions, such as streamlining the process for shelters and homeless services, requiring our counties to distribute mental health funds that they’ve been holding on to, and using the new ‘California Access to Housing Fund’ to get money out quickly to strategies that work — like rental assistance, buying vacant residential properties, and converting motels into housing.

“I especially applaud his proposal for a new legal obligation to ‘use it or lose it’ to hold local governments responsible for using the funding provided to actually house people or forfeit the funding. And Gov. Newsom committed to increase housing production, correctly acknowledging that our housing supply shortage is at the root of California’s housing crisis.

“The governor is right: ‘It’s time for California to say yes to housing’ and to end homelessness.”

Sen. Nancy Skinner represents the 9th District and is the Senate Majority Whip.