Earlier [this week], I was in Sacramento for [California] Gov. [Gavin] Newsom’s first State of the State address. The governor presented a bold, progressive plan for California, and I’m looking forward to working with him on issues important to our city and our state.
Gov. Newsom is committed to tackling the most important challenges facing California, and they are many of the same challenges we’ve been addressing here in Long Beach, including housing and homelessness, services for seniors, water conservation and economic growth.
The governor reiterated his strong stance on housing, promising to enforce state-housing requirements and to better fund affordable housing. He also called on all cities and counties to take seriously our collective obligation to permit new housing, keeping Californians from falling into homelessness and improving services for mental illness. I am proud that Long Beach has taken up these calls.
I’m also glad to support the governor’s vision for our senior population. Long Beach has a strong history of supporting senior-housing developments, notably with our groundbreaking of The Beacon, a transit-oriented 160-unit supportive housing development, near a robust hospital system, with 120-units reserved for low-income seniors. But more will need to be done. In the next decade, for the first time ever, California will have more seniors than young children. Long Beach will work closely with the governor’s office to ensure our senior residents have access to good healthcare, housing they can afford and a high quality of life.
Long Beach also has a continued role to play in efforts to address our ongoing state-water crisis. The City has been a leader in water conservation. As a result, even during the recent historic drought and record-breaking heat, the Long Beach community reduced water use by double digits, exceeding State mandates. We stand ready to do more and work with the governor to achieve his water-conservation targets.
In order to support all these efforts, the California economy must remain strong. Gov. Newsom has a vision for job growth driven by innovation, education and collaboration between labor and business. I think that’s exactly the right approach and will ensure California has the resources we need to accomplish our goals.
Housing, water, jobs and seniors are just some of the important issues we will be working on in the coming years. Having a governor with a strong, progressive vision for our state is great for Long Beach and for California.
Robert Garcia, Long Beach Mayor
Public statement
