Read More. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Jason Elliott, Newsom's deputy chief of staff, said the governor's "hope and expectation is that this will be going out in short order." However, he added that the ball was in the court of . You just let it keep rolling. 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. A governors signature does not build new units, he said. And then the high risk factor you apply to that population. They cant take whats happening on the streets and sidewalks. Elliott said he was watching with glee the Biden administrations $5 billion proposal as part of his infrastructure plan to encourage local governments to end exclusionary zoning and other practices. "Sometimes people return to the streets, sometimes they return to . Gavin Newsom. 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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. Jason Elliott, Newsom's top housing advisor, said the governor's budget interlaces housing, cost-of-living and climate policies to simultaneously address California's top issues. 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. It's scheduled to increase slightly for inflation on July 1. With a proposed budget of $4.3 million, the unit would hold cities feet to the fire when they break existing housing law, and help them take advantage of laws already in place that streamline regulations and permits. Instead, California should invest in evidence-based practices that are proven to work and that will actually empower people living with mental health disabilities on their paths to recovery and allow them to retain full autonomy over their lives without the intrusion of a court.. Jason Elliott Senior Counselor & Director of Intergovernmental Affairs EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Sepi Esfahlani Assistant Director, External Affairs Elmy Bermejo . Our message to LA and the Bay Area and to everyone is: Project Roomkey is here and funded at least through September of this year, with 100% of the cost borne by the federal government. But nowhere near the levels that I mentioned to you a moment ago we were fearing would come to pass. the political dynamics and economic and racial inequities that have Newsom has proposed pausing that increase for one year, a move that would save drivers about $1.30 per month, according to Transportation California, a nonpartisan business and labor coalition. 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. "Local government has a responsibility to put their hands up and be part of the solution," said Jason Elliott, Newsom's senior counselor on housing and homelessness. Erin Mellon, Newsom's communications director, confirmed the moves to The Sacramento Bee. This is a part-time position and does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation $81,897. Sign up for our daily newsletter. One idea: expanding motel conversions, an emergency plan during the pandemic. . China dismisses FBI statement that COVID-19 likely leaked from Wuhan lab We started with a lot of ideas. Elliott was joined on the virtual panel, moderated by CalMatters, by Jennifer Svec, legislative advocate for the California Association of Realtors; Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a Democrat from the East Bay; and Adam Fowler, research director at Beacon Economics, all of whom agreed that a supply shortage waslargely responsible for ballooning home prices. During a panel discussion hosted by Capitol Weekly on Wednesday, Jason Elliott, Newsom's top advisor on housing and homelessness, provided a glimpse. A: Thats a great question and I wish I had a more straightforward answer for you. Clear out encampments, and at the same time connect people with housing and services. The big takeaway: California is millions of. 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. Many affordable housing developers argue there just isnt the available workforce so that mandate would only increase the cost of construction. Thats goal number one.. So when you do all that math, youre looking at about 25,000 homeless people losing their lives from coronavirus. Those who would qualify are characterized by experts as the hardest to reach and most difficult to treat, largely because they have a variety of complex needs and are often hesitant to trust government intervention. We won't use your email for any other purpose, and you can opt out at any time via an unsubscribe link. Housing | A: California struggles and has struggled for decades to provide adequate housing for people experiencing homelessness. Are we doing much better than previous models? 5. My favorite part of the job is when we get together in a room and theres just this unsolvable, complicated problem, and you get to just dive into it and unpack it piece by piece and try to help solve the unsolvable. Logman is a Democrat. A: Thats a great question and I wish I had a more straightforward answer for you. Lagos: So you spent the last couple months helping London Breeds administration get settled. 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. As a result, the state has announced it will simplify the process to get more money out the door faster. Hes also been a chief deputy cabinet secretary, director of intergovernmental affairs, senior adviser, and more. He said the question of how to close the homeless spigot is motivating them to think bigger and be more. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Project Roomkey has sheltered more than 35,000 homeless Californians in hotels and motels throughout the state, giving people over 65 or with medical conditions a safer place to ride out the pandemic. Local governments face sanctions if they do not comply with program requirements. LA County reports 15 More COVID-related deaths; 882 new cases, How California used COVID-19 to create housing;, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), How California used COVID-19 to create housing; a top Newsom adviser weighs in, Pasadena to terminate local COVID-19 orders this month, LA County reports 14 COVID-related deaths, 1,300-plus cases on Friday, As COVID health emergency ends, LA County officials still urge caution, UCLA nurses want end to COVID-era overcrowding in hospital halls and rooms, LA County reports 15 More COVID-related deaths; 882 new cases. Title: Senior Counselor to Gov. (Courtesy of Jason Elliott) Jason Elliott had been chief of staff to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee for only about six months when he got the call last December that Lee was in the hospital. But getting a good read on his thinking can be difficult. 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ChristineHironaka, 31, of San Francisco, has been appointedDeputy Cabinet Secretary. Elliott sidestepped another question, about whether the administration would seek to extend the statewide eviction moratorium, which is set to end June 30,as the state doubles its rent relief funds withan additional $2.6 billion from the federal government. Gavin Newsom. Because people just want to get people inside off the streets, Klasky-Gamer said. 1. Two Democrats have already introduced a bill that parallels the governors proposal. Dr. Jonathan Sherin, Los Angeles Countys director of mental health, estimated that CARE Court would target 10% or less of the total homeless population. The transcript below was edited for brevity and clarity: Marisa Lagos: You step into these huge shoes, and then about six months later Mayor Ed Lee suddenly dies in the middle of the night. potential Today, he announced: Jamie Callahan, 33, of Sacramento,has been appointedDeputy Cabinet Secretary. Please contact CalMatters with any commentary questions: commentary@calmatters.org. As health officials scrambled last March with shelter-in-place orders to slow the spread of COVID-19, Jason Elliott wastacklinganother seemingly overwhelming problem: How do we keep the more than 100,000 Californians sleeping on our streets from dying of the virus? With a budget surplus bonanza, Gov. He hasnt had a day off in months. Timing is also a key decision for Newsom. Elliott spoke with this news organization about those programs, how they started, and where we go from here. Hannah Wiley is a politics reporter for the Los Angeles Times Sacramento bureau covering the California Capitol and state agencies. Sabelhaus is a Democrat. So our responsibility now as a state is to continue to put fuel in the tank of this solution. 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. And the type of housing available is just as important as how much of it there is, said L.A. Family Housing President and CEO Stephanie Klasky-Gamer. He hasnt had a day off in months. We want to move, and we want to move quickly, Newsom said during a recent interview on KQED. Most recently,Seeman servedas deputy legislative secretary in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., where he advised on matters related to criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections and the judiciary. Workforce development for those skilled trades is going to be so essential.. For all we knew, this was going to happen in a matter of weeks. And through really deliberative debate and discussion, we started to land on the idea of using hotels. 1. But getting a good read on his thinking can be difficult. Some were practical and some were impossible. What have you been trying to pass on to the people who are now going to come after you? hV[k0+eeJ!l>;h\aaK:}>>Z -A Were coming up with a completely new paradigm, a new approach, a different pathway, and its consistent with our values, Newsom said earlier this month when he announced the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court. Elliott has worked in government his whole career, and he met his wife in Gavin Newsoms administration, when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco. Has it helped us flatten the curve more broadly in California and protect our hospitals from overcrowding? Graham Knaus, executive director of the California State Assn. Some were really good and some were not so good. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, California judges could order help for homeless Californians under Newsoms new plan, What we know about Newsoms plan to compel care for homeless, mentally ill Californians, Gov. A top Newsom adviser weighs in, Opinion: Newsoms budget cuts threaten public health investment, Oakland airport passenger traffic shows steady post-COVID rebound, China dismisses FBI statement that COVID-19 likely leaked from Wuhan lab, Despite new state law, Antioch ends remote option for council meetings, Zoom chops nearly 200 jobs in Bay Area as tech layoffs mount. Q: How did the impact of the pandemic, and the response, differ in the states two regions with the worst homelessness crises the Bay Area, and Los Angeles? . Elliott acknowledged the state's behavioral health system has . State Sen. Susan Eggman, a Stockton Democrat and one of the authors of SB 1338, said she would modify the bill to address certain concerns before then, but on some issues, were just going to have to agree to disagree., It is a work in progress, she said. The governor also has political incentives to quickly install CARE Courts. Jason Elliott, Newsom's deputy chief of staff, runs point on homelessness for the governor. Newsom also proposed $1.5 billion in this years budget to boost Californias behavioral health housing stock and has funneled billions more toward housing options for people experiencing homelessness. Newsom included $3 billion in the budget last year to increase behavioral health housing by 22,000 treatment beds, and proposed another $1.5 billion this year to bump that number up to 33,000. We have 108,000 unsheltered homeless people in California. Gavin Newsom has repeatedly made housing affordability a top priority of his administration. In LA they proposed more Homekey projects than we were able to fund. 4. View Jason Elliott's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. 4. Enter address: This website, like most media sites, uses small files called cookies to anonymously customize the advertising that you see. Healso worked for the California Air Resources Board(CARB)onlegislation relating climate. A: California struggles and has struggled for decades to provide adequate housing for people experiencing homelessness. Secretly, he still does. Its a new day, new paradigm, and we are looking forward to getting something big done.. We have exploded in bringing more interim housing beds online. 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 easing the statewide housing shortage. 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Callahan served as the Chief Executive Officer of the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit. . Jason Elliott is the top housing adviser to Gov. Its a part of the population that has been suffering and languishing for so long, many of whom have been on the streets for literally years and years and some decades and at great peril to themselves, Sherin said. Callahan is a Democrat. Jason Elliott is a Senior Counselor On Housing at Newsom based in Washington, D.C., District of Columbia. Jason Elliott with San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Lt. Gov. On the eviction moratorium, Wicks said she was working closely with Assemblymember David Chius office to make sure tenants are protected but landlords receive missed back rent. The Newsom administration says the excess land plan will help offset shelter costs for cities and counties at least, those willing to seek the help. Elliott spoke with this news organization about those programs, how they started, and where we go from here. Gov. Its not really realistic to assume were going to subsidize our way out of this, Elliott said. 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. 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. We need people to enroll. Gavin Newsom helps clean a homeless encampment alongside a freeway in San Diego. Has it protected 35,000 homeless Californians? Prior to that, she held roles as Appointments Director for the Senate Rules Committee, Deputy Director of the Center for CaliforniaStudies at California State University, Sacramento, Director of the Senate Fellows Program, Chief of Staff to Senator Barry Keene, consultant to Assembly Majority Consultants, legislative aide to U.S. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100,008. Gavin Newsom unveiled a far-reaching effort to push more people into court-ordered treatment for severe mental illness and addiction, homeless advocates are calling it legally misguided and immoral as the proposals first public hearing at the state Capitol has been delayed.