California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state's budget towards housing and homelessness issues has changed after a meeting with big city leaders.
The governor met with the mayors of Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento on Wednesday to talk about funding for homelessness.
"We haven't been doing enough to support cities," Newsom said at a news conference. "The budget just changed. This was an important meeting. I did not just listen, I took notes and I'm taking direction. And it's not just about more money, it's about reprioritizing some of those investment."
Newsom previously secured $500 million in state budget to combat the most populous state's homeless problem.
The governor and mayors did not go into details about how the budget changed but Assembly Budget Chair, D-San Francisco, Phil Ting said the half-billion has been used to provide resources to cities. Mayor London Breed, who wasn't at the meeting, used the funds to build navigation centers and shelters, Ting said.
Mayor of Sacramento, Darrell Steinberg, who Newsom placed as a leader on homelessness issues, said that the focus will be equally on sheltering and on early intervention and prevention.
"We are committed as ever to reducing this unacceptable social condition throughout California," Steinberg said.
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Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said that state funds are being used to resolve the encampment issue in the city with the Cabin Community program and expand the city's service to more than 600 unsheltered residents per year.
Another Bay Area mayor presented at the meeting was San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.
"We're in construction now on tiny homes that will enable hundreds of homeless individuals to get back on their feet with transitional housing and supportive services," Liccado said.
