Published: October 30, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2026
Contact:
Jonathan Lopez: [email protected]
Robin Swanson: [email protected]
CALIFORNIA’S BIG CITY MAYORS UNITE IN RIVERSIDE TO ADVANCE SOLUTIONS TO STATE’S MOST PRESSING CHALLENGES
Bipartisan coalition representing nearly 11 million Californians outlines priorities for homelessness funding, behavioral health reform, housing, and protecting taxpayer resources
WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE HERE: Big City Mayors Press Conference October 2026
RIVERSIDE, CA – The bipartisan California Big City Mayors coalition convened in Riverside today to advance a shared agenda that addresses homelessness, mental health access, and the rising lawsuit costs that threaten essential city services. Building on their success restoring Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funding in the last state budget, mayors representing 11 million Californians established priorities for California’s next Governor and the 2027 legislative session at their annual C13 summit. Led by Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, chair of the coalition, the mayors focused on continuing support for homelessness programs, connecting people to mental health treatment, and addressing rising litigation costs that divert taxpayer dollars from essential services.
“We set out to restore HHAP funding, and we’ve accomplished that. We’re ensuring money gets out fast and gets to the programs that are most effective in our cities,” said Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, chair of California Big City Mayors. “But restoring HHAP funding was just the beginning. We’ve built this coalition into a powerful, unified voice at the state level, and will use that influence to deliver results on the challenges facing our communities. This summit is about turning that collective strength into action: identifying the issues our cities cannot solve alone and working directly with the Governor and Legislature to advance meaningful, statewide solutions.”
The coalition’s agenda focuses on sustaining progress that continues to see reductions in homelessness, improving access to behavioral health treatment, increasing housing supply, strengthening economic opportunity and modernizing municipal liability laws to protect essential public services.
Sustaining Progress on Homelessness:
California has made progress in reducing homelessness, but mayors warn that continued gains depend on stable funding and stronger coordination among cities, counties and the state.
The state’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program has become a critical source of funding for emergency shelters, outreach, interim housing and permanent housing solutions. While the state provided approximately $890 million for the program’s seventh funding round, cities continue to face challenges implementing proven solutions because of the uncertainty of funding, which is reconsidered annually and never guaranteed.
The Big City Mayors are advocating for multi-year funding commitments for HHAP that empower cities to sustain successful programs and plan for the future so measurable progress is seen and felt. They are also calling for practical accountability standards, expanded homelessness prevention resources and stronger regional partnerships that ultimately bring people from the streets into homes.
“Cities can’t build a long-term solution to homelessness on a year-to-year funding commitment,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. “We need predictable resources, clear performance measures and the flexibility to invest in programs that are actually moving people off the streets and into stable housing. Accountability matters, but so does giving cities the tools to succeed.”
“Preventing homelessness for residents facing housing insecurity and behavioral health challenges is a priority. With the cost of living rising and the healthcare system constantly shifting, HHAP-funded resources for the most vulnerable have been a lifeline,” said Irvine Mayor Larry Agran. “Our interim and permanent housing, outreach, and prevention programs work because they are run locally, in partnership with the communities they serve. Future state investment in housing must complement, not replace, the flexible funding cities need to address homelessness in their own communities.”
"Anaheim's HHAP funds have literally moved people off the streets and transitioned nearly 500 people into permanent housing," said Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken. "When deployed with purpose and intention, these dollars are investments into our community that produce real, life-changing results. Spending to reduce homelessness is one of the best investments we make and it is time to make it permanent."
“Homelessness affects every generation and every community,” said Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi “HHAP gives cities flexible funding to connect people with shelter, treatment, and permanent housing. We need sustained state investment and support that recognizes each city’s needs so more Californians can find stability and a place to call home.”
Turning Behavioral Health Reform into Treatment and Results:
The mayors also called for stronger implementation of California’s behavioral health reforms, including CARE Court, expanded conservatorship standards and Proposition 1.
Proposition 1 authorized $6.4 billion in bonds to expand behavioral health treatment facilities and supportive housing. The state’s original goals included 6,800 residential treatment beds, 26,700 outpatient treatment slots and 4,350 permanent supportive housing units. While substantial funding has been awarded, mayors are seeking greater transparency about when facilities become operational, how services reach residents and whether reforms are producing lasting improvements.
The coalition is advocating for faster connections to treatment, clearer referral pathways for families and first responders, sufficient treatment capacity and greater accountability for implementation.
“The challenges facing California’s cities are too important for any one city to tackle alone. That’s why I value the opportunity to work in a collaborative, bipartisan fashion alongside mayors from across the state to find solutions that make a substantial impact in our communities,” said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer. “We need continued HHAP funding to keep moving people off the streets, meaningful changes to Care Court so those struggling with serious mental illness can get the treatment they desperately need, and common-sense tort reform that protects taxpayer dollars and essential city services. These are issues that affect every one of our cities and we must continue advocating for the funding to fix these problems plaguing our communities. Our collective cities are stronger together.”
Protecting Taxpayers and Essential City Services:
Another major focus of the summit was the growing cost of lawsuits and liability judgments against California cities.
An August 2026 analysis by Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy and Beacon Economics found that public-entity liability costs have tripled over seven years, with large claims accounting for a disproportionate share of total financial exposure. The report raises concerns about the growing pressure on budgets that fund public safety, infrastructure, homelessness response and other essential services.
The Big City Mayors are advancing a tort reform agenda that includes reasonable limits on noneconomic damages, ensuring cities are responsible only for their proportionate share of damages and greater transparency and reasonable limits on attorneys’ contingency fees. The coalition emphasizes that reforms must preserve fair compensation for injured residents.
“Every dollar cities spend on excessive litigation costs is a dollar we cannot invest in repairing streets, keeping neighborhoods safe and addressing homelessness,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “California needs commonsense tort reform that ensures people who are injured receive fair compensation while protecting taxpayers and the essential services our communities rely on. Big City Mayors are united in advocating for a fairer system that preserves accountability and keeps public resources working for the public.”
"When families are facing affordability challenges and instability, they expect their mayors to be focused on helping them, not dealing with frivolous lawsuits," said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. "Frivolous lawsuits distract us from our focus on affordability, and divert taxpayer money toward lawyers and extra insurance that we should be spending on public services like affordable housing, transportation, libraries, health services, and public safety."
The coalition also emphasized the need to accelerate housing production and expand affordability as California cities confront high housing costs and growing demand.
Mayors are seeking stronger state and local partnerships to reduce barriers to housing development, support infrastructure investments and expand the range of housing options available to working families, seniors and residents at risk of homelessness.
The Big City Mayors coalition will continue working with state leaders, legislators and regional partners to advance its policy priorities in 2027, emphasizing practical solutions, measurable results and the importance of sustained investment in California’s largest cities.
About California Big City Mayors:
California Big City Mayors is a bipartisan coalition representing the state’s 13 largest cities and nearly 11 million residents. The coalition advocates for state and local partnerships to address homelessness, housing, public safety, economic development and other critical challenges facing California’s urban communities.
