Leader Atkins Responds to Governor Newsom’s State of the State Address
SACRAMENTO – California Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) issued the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s State of the State address:
“As someone who has been working on homelessness and affordable housing issues for decades, I believe the Governor is right to stress urgency and accountability in his State of the State address. We need to get money out the door quickly, both new funding and Proposition 63 funds, but we also have to make sure the money is being spent in a timely and effective way.
“And while some one-time infusion of funds may be needed and helpful, we also have to make sure we allocate the multi-year ongoing funding that it will truly take to solve our housing problems.
“Coming out of local government, I believe we need to respect local control, but with that control must also come responsibility from local officials to actually provide services and build housing. And, at every level of government, we need to provide more of the certainty that will enable more affordable housing units to be built.
“Clearly, with all the challenges involved, this is not a time for the Legislature to be either a rubber stamp or a bottleneck. Senate Democrats understand the urgency before us, we are committed to bringing the various parties together to bridge the differences in how to move forward, and we will provide the strong oversight that ensures real accountability.”
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Toni G. Atkins is President pro Tempore of the California Senate. Having previously served as Speaker of the California Assembly, she began her tenure in the Senate in 2016. As Senator for District 39, she represents the cities of San Diego, Coronado, Del Mar and Solana Beach. Website of President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins: www.senate.ca.gov/Atkins