Newsom Offers Vacant Land for Homeless Shelters, but Local - KQED Sign up for The Roundup, More than three dozen organizations and individuals, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Disability Rights California and the Western Center on Law and Poverty, signed an April 12 opposition letter raising serious concerns with Assembly Bill 2830, one of two nearly identical measures moving through the Legislature to implement Newsoms Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court. potential Today, he announced: Jamie Callahan, 33, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Cabinet Secretary. If they start listening to us and really take coercive approaches and court-ordered approaches off the table, I think theres more hope that we can work with them on something that we can all support, Imparato said. But getting a good read on his thinking can be difficult. In their 14-page letter, the advocates blasted the proposal as involuntary and coercive treatment that would strip individuals of their personal liberties and perpetuate institutional racism and worsen health disparities. They said CARE Court flies in the face of any evidence-based approach to ending homelessness because it prioritizes mental health services not housing as the initial step toward recovery, which they said would deviate from Californias housing first principles. We vehemently oppose the proposal because it has this coercive court process implemented, and no right to housing, Castillo said. S.F.'s Toiletgate: Newsom calls $1.7 million bathroom a waste, halts She also served as a legislative assistant in the Office of State Senator Mark Leno, and as acapital fellow in the Office of State Senator Denise MorenoDucheny. But the bottom line is that he tackles difficult issues and advises the governor on how to respond, and his portfolio is expanding exponentially. Thats goal number one.. Sending Gas Money to California Taxpayers May Aid State Budget Gavin Newsom. Housing | SACRAMENTO Newly sworn-in Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the addition ofseveral highly-accomplished public servants toExecutive Branch Operationswithin the Governors Office. And it aimed to protect some of the most vulnerable Californians from a disease that we didnt know anything about. Theyre just exhausted, Newsom said during the KQED interview. A:I dont want to leave your readers with the impression that Project Roomkey is going to once and for all solve homelessness in California, because its not. But its a start, and more than California has done in a long time. Governor helps clear San Diego homeless encampment to highlight pilot Q: As a result of Homekey, the state has added more than 6,000 new long-term housing units in less than six months. 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He said the governor would generally support any move to change the default to yes on more housing. The Bay Area has pulled together in a very interesting way and focused very much on prevention and stability, which is really good. Zoom chops nearly 200 jobs in Bay Area as tech layoffs mount But its the money needed to run CARE Court that concerns local officials. A: California struggles and has struggled for decades to provide adequate housing for people experiencing homelessness. The state must invest in permanent affordable housing options in addition to building interim units such as tiny homes and hotel rooms, she said. Has it become a model for the rest of the country? Its not really realistic to assume were going to subsidize our way out of this. Elliott has worked in government his whole career, and he met his wife in Gavin Newsoms administration, when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco. Gavin Newsom's adviser on housing and homelessness, said that while the state can build housing for homeless people and the very poor, the private sector is essential to. A: Thats a great question and I wish I had a more straightforward answer for you. The panels chairman, Assembly Member Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley), said in a statement that he shared many of the concerns raised by the opponents about the CARE Court bills.. Jason Elliott - Deputy Chief of Staff - Office of California Governor Gov. Homekey was able to produce 6,000 units in six months, at a third of the cost, in about a fifth of the amount of time it typically takes. A governors signature does not build new units, he said. With this $1.75 billion (the governor proposed spending $1.75 billion on homeless housing, including $750 million to continue Homekey) we want to create this momentum behind Homekey and not have it be a one-time thing. UCLA nurses want end to COVID-era overcrowding in hospital halls and rooms 5. Senior Counselor On Housing at Newsom. The governors new plan to create a court-ordered treatment effort is being sharply criticized by anti-poverty groups and civil libertarians. "California is responding to a crisis," tweeted Jason Elliott, Newsom's senior counselor for housing and homelessness. Figueroa is a Democrat. Because for every person you bring inside, thats a person who has a sister whos worried about her. Those concerns are likely to be raised as Newsom continues to conduct roundtable discussions with stakeholders throughout the state. Related Articles Gavin Newsom. Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said the issue is a high priority for her members, and appeared open to the idea of the proposal being worked out through the budget. Elliott acknowledged the state's behavioral health system has . Lagos: London Breed became acting mayor, but she was only in that position for a couple of months before the Board of Supervisors controversially replaced her with interim Mayor Mark Farrell, and then of course London Breed got elected. Hes also been a chief deputy cabinet secretary, director of intergovernmental affairs, senior adviser, and more. PDF Governor's Office Organizational Chart - California Governor How California used COVID-19 to create housing; a top Newsom adviser And its not something you ever picture doing. Capitol Weekly's Top 100: Jason Elliot - Capitol Weekly We have lost people back to the streets out of Project Roomkey. Newsom calls for spending $12 billion more to end homelessness in California. He spearheaded two programs that together wound up being one of the states biggest feats during the unprecedented pandemic. A: I remember it was a Sunday afternoon and I was walking my dog and I got a call from our then chief of staff Ann OLeary and she said I need you at (the Office of Emergency Services) right now. Within hours, Lee died -- and Elliot had to step up to help keep the city running. hV[k0+eeJ!l>;h\aaK:}>>Z -A You can find our submission guidelines here. I have sympathy for local leaders in Los Angeles and I have sympathy for the residents of Los Angeles because even sheltering as many people as they did through Project Roomkey, and providing as many new units as they did through Homekey, the order of magnitude of the challenge is so large in LA that it almost feels like you can never make progress. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $170,004. In the Bay Area, the median home price soared to an all-time high of $1.3 million and the statewide median home price broke $800,000 last month. Jason Elliott Title: Senior Counselor to Gov. Receive a free briefing on your state every day. And he was a friend and a mentor, so it must have been an incredibly difficult thing emotionally. He highlighted $12 billion in the governors budget proposal for housing and homelessness and $1.75 billion to kick-start building on more than 6,000 of backlogged affordable housing units. A lot of smaller cities are not just making this San Francisco and Oaklands problem. So wed really like to see communities not only continue the portfolio that they have under Project Roomkey, but potentially expand it, and expand it significantly. A, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Bay Area weather: After thunderstorms and hail, snow could be on the way this weekend, How California used COVID to create housing. Dr. Margot Kushel, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, applauded the administration for promising resources, but cautioned against thinking CARE Court would be a blanket solution to the crisis. He said the question of how to close the homeless spigot is motivating them to think bigger and be more. One example: a 2013 law designed toincrease infill developmentin green zones, which Elliott said could potentially allow for millions of housing units to be built. They cant take whats happening on the streets and sidewalks. Voters have given Newsom poor reviews on efforts to stem the homelessness crisis, which is sure to come up in his opponents campaigns to block his reelection later this year. Elliott, a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School and Columbia University, has been with Newsom for years, working for him when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco and lieutenant governor. Honestly sometimes when something is working, you dont tinker with it. Erin Mellon, Newsom's communications director, confirmed the moves to The Sacramento Bee. Jason Elliott: So for me, nobody takes a job of chief of staff thinking youre going to be the one who has to call the president of the Board of Supervisors at 1 in the morning. Elliott said that while the state can build housing for people experiencing homelessness and the very poor, the private sector is essential to easing the housing shortage. Dr. Jonathan Sherin, Los Angeles Countys director of mental health, estimated that CARE Court would target 10% or less of the total homeless population. And they want more clarity around the role of the supporter, who they said would serve more as court agents than personal advocates. In response, Fowler agreed that California, like the rest of the country, faces a severe shortage of labor, union or otherwise. But with so many other cost drivers such as skyrocketing lumber prices wages arent the problem.