San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria laid out his plan of attack for some of the city's biggest issues Wednesday during his 2022 State of the City Address.
First, Mayor Gloria took aim at homelessness.
"Let’s be clear," he said. "Under no circumstance is it compassionate to let a person live on the street."
Gloria touted the creation of 132 new apartments for chronically homeless people, and said nearly 1,000 more are coming this year. The mayor said he also has plans to help those who can't seek help for themselves.
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"One of our society’s most egregious failings is neglecting to care for people suffering from severe mental illness," the Mayor said. "So, this year, I am pushing for state action on conservatorships so that people who cannot help themselves aren’t left vulnerable to the dangers of life on the streets."
Addressing housing in San Diego, Gloria said his administration is legally obligated to plan for more growth.
"The shortage of homes everyday San Diegans can afford is splitting up families, making it harder for our businesses to attract and retain high-quality workers, and threatening to deprive our region of the talented young people we work so hard to educate in our world-class universities," he said. "We are legally and morally obligated to plan for more growth and add more than 100,000 new homes during the next eight years, and, folks, we are getting it done."
Local
Local elected leaders also shared their thoughts on Gloria's address.
“Mayor Gloria's assessment of San Diego’s current condition was sobering," County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher said. "He spoke directly to San Diegans, outlined the difficult challenges, and presented a clear direction for how he plans to address them. I applaud his leadership in tackling the crisis of the unsheltered and I value his commitment to working collaboratively with us to help people with behavioral health issues to get back on a positive path.”
In a tweet, County Supervisor Nora Vargas praised Gloria's "real talk."
City Councilmember Chris Cate also commended Gloria for his commitment to the police department.
"Violent crime is indisputably on the rise, and Mayor Gloria is absolutely right to prioritize ensuring the San Diego Police Department have the resources they need to protect San Diego residents," Cate said.
