I think everyone thinks this is the year to really get things done, she said. CalMatters is a nonprofit newsroom and your tax-deductible donations help us keep bringing you and every Californian essential, nonpartisan information. Jason Elliott: So for me, nobody takes a job of chief of staff thinking youre going to be the one who has to call the president of the Board of Supervisors at 1 in the morning. So I hopped in my car, drove over to Mather where OES is, and went into a conference room where the governor, Ann and a few others were, and sort of started at that point to realize how fundamentally this was going to change everything. 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 was largely responsible for ballooning home prices. The mayor of San Francisco cannot possibly be involved in every decision that gets made across our 60 departments, from the airport to the zoo. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Hes also been a chief deputy cabinet secretary, director of intergovernmental affairs, senior adviser, and more. Pasadena to terminate local COVID-19 orders this month The answer is yes. A, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Bay Area weather: After thunderstorms and hail, snow could be on the way this weekend, How California used COVID to create housing. Jason Elliott, Newsom's top housing and homelessness advisor, said Monday that the administration expected some opposition to the proposal. %PDF-1.7 % He served in several previous administrations, including as Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Deputy Legislative Secretary for Governor Gray Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100,008. panel discussion hosted by Capitol Weekly, to encourage local governments to end exclusionary zoning, struggled to get tenants and landlords to enroll, $12 billion in the governors budget proposal, largely responsible for ballooning home prices. hbbd```b``Z""H>UD>&jH`AH2::30m\ Most recently,Seeman servedas deputy legislative secretary in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., where he advised on matters related to criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections and the judiciary. 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Jason Elliott with San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Lt. Gov. Gov. Do the best you can -- what Ed Lee would want us to do is to run the city as professionally as we possibly can. Through Project Roomkey, we increased the amount of shelter available in California by 50%, effectively overnight. That was the challenge we were facing. Jason Elliott, Newsom's deputy chief of staff, said the governor's "hope and expectation is that this will be going out in short order." However, he added that the ball was in the court of . California has about 30,000 to 35,000 shelter beds on any given night, almost all of which are filled. Housing | Jason Elliott, 36, of Sacramento, is now serving as senior counselor to the Governor for housing and homelessness in the Office of the Governor, where he has served as chief deputy cabinet secretary. And at that point, we were modeling a 56% attack rate for the virus, meaning that we expected 56% of Californians would get coronavirus at some point during the outbreak. "x|.gpr9w5+9VD34[1d3 k=D.$Y+P&@H)1IPv&cN}`r=(s6hYp4r>]dV>:pvV5R"F-"0%4X=?>RYQ;:h]"{A'`MW;J If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. "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. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. He highlighted $12 billion in the governors budget proposal for housing and homelessness and $1.75 billion to kick-start building on more than 6,000 of backlogged affordable housing units. Gavin Newsom Age: 37 Born: New York City, but grew up in Palo Alto Current home: Sacramento Family: Lives with his wife and their 15-month-old. Q: What percent of Project Roomkey clients have exited to permanent housing? Are sale-leasebacks still a viable option? The State Building and Construction Trades Council has pushed to include a requirement in housing bills that would force the new units to be built with union labor. Elliott, a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School and Columbia University, has been with Newsom for years, working for him when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco and lieutenant governor. From 2006 to 2010, she served four administrations in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Callahan is a Democrat. Hebegan his careerat the State Capitolas a legislativeaide to State Senator FranPavley. Hes the grandson of a Holocaust survivor. Gavin Newsom. We are using the states money to invest in one of the states top priorities homelessness. Q: Has Project Roomkey achieved everything you hoped it would? Sign up below, then look for a confirmation email in your inbox. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Newsom touted the CARE Court framework last month as an innovative strategy to guide an estimated 7,000 to 12,000 people into housing and much-needed treatment. Workforce development for those skilled trades is going to be so essential.. Q: As a result of Homekey, the state has added more than 6,000 new long-term housing units in less than six months. To fundamentally alter the reality that we see on the streets requires us fundamentally altering our approach. Lawmakers similarly expect answers to these questions before Newsom submits a formal proposal to the Legislature. 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. Before that, she was a Legislative Assistant at The Crane Group and a Research Assistant for the British ParliamentaryLabourParty. The big takeaway: California is millions of housing units short, and cities hold the key. 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. Newsom dissed local applicants for seeming too complacent about a dire California problem, while the applicants retorted that the Newsom administration sent conflicting signals and that in any case, state lawmakers had inadvertently given them a financial motive to lowball their goals. More than three dozen organizations and individuals, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Disability Rights California and the Western Center on Law and Poverty, signed an April 12 opposition letter raising serious concerns with Assembly Bill 2830, one of two nearly identical measures moving through the Legislature to implement Newsoms Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court. potential This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $145,008. This is not going to end homelessness, Kushel said. Has it become a model for the rest of the country? The governor said that CARE Court would focus on the most vulnerable Californians suffering from severe mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and individuals who have cycled in and out of hospitals and jails. Has the federal government embraced it and now is providing 100% reimbursement on the costs? Between working on the states pandemic response seven days a week and raising a baby, theres very little time to do anything else. Elliott, a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School and Columbia University, has been with Newsom for years, working for him when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco and lieutenant governor. Health | As COVID health emergency ends, LA County officials still urge caution He is married to Nicole Elliott, director of the state Department of Cannabis Control. Despite the urgency, the number of people who would likely benefit from the initiative is limited. And that was not its intention. Elliott sat down for an exit interview with KQED politics reporter Marisa Lagos. So, Im gonna miss the troubleshooting with departments and mayor staff. Stay in touch. the free daily newsletter about California politics from the editors of Capitol Weekly. Our free newsletter is delivered at 8 a.m. daily. And making sure as the city was grieving, as we personally were grieving, that people getting up the next morning could go and get on Muni, and if they called 911 that the police would show up, and if they wanted to go to the park, that the park would be open. Concerns about rising crime and the homelessness crisis emerged as the top issues driving voter dissatisfaction with Gov. In high school and for part of college, Elliott dreamed of becoming a journalist. In LA they proposed more Homekey projects than we were able to fund. Jason Elliott, Gov. Title: Senior Counselor to Gov. So I hopped in my car, drove over to Mather where OES is, and went into a conference room where the governor, Ann and a few others were, and sort of started at that point to realize how fundamentally this was going to change everything. Getting cities and counties to say yes to housing is a long battle in California. And he warned against efforts to rush the bill through the legislative process without proper public input and scrutiny. Some other highlights from the discussion: On home prices, Svec refrained from calling Californias housing market a bubble. She expects the housing market will remain much more stable this time around than after the 2008 foreclosure crisis, and doesnt expect prices to drop anytime soon. He said the question of how to close the homeless spigot is motivating them to think bigger and be more. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court, Newsoms new push for homeless mental health treatment lacks details. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $135,000. Yes, it has. Previously, Figueroa was Director of Prevention for The California Endowment, the nations largest state-specific health care foundation. I will be reviewing the legislation very closely and recommending any amendments necessary to ensure that CARE Courts can truly help those most in need, while not unduly limiting their constitutionally guaranteed rights, he wrote. CalMattersis a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. Elliott said that while the state can build housing for people experiencing homelessness and the very poor, the private sector is essential to easing the housing shortage. NettieSabelhaus, 71, of Sacramento,has been appointedSpecial Advisor on Public Safety. Governor Newsom had previously announced Ana J. Matosantos as Cabinet Secretary, Jason Elliott as Chief Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Executive Branch Operations, and Angie Wei as Chief Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Policy Development. 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. No, of course not. Oakland airport passenger traffic shows steady post-COVID rebound Certainly there have been outbreaks on Skid Row, certainly there have been outbreaks in some of the homeless facilities in the Tenderloin in San Francisco. Some other highlights from the discussion: On home prices, Svec refrained from calling Californias housing market a bubble. She expects the housing market will remain much more stable this time around than after the 2008 foreclosure crisis, and doesnt expect prices to drop anytime soon. His grandfather was in the State Department. Housing | But nowhere near the levels that I mentioned to you a moment ago we were fearing would come to pass. Los Angeles, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; suspect arrested, San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Los Angeles is suddenly awash in waterfalls. Elliott spoke with this news organization about those programs, how they started, and where we go from here. She also served as a legislative assistant in the Office of State Senator Mark Leno, and as acapital fellow in the Office of State Senator Denise MorenoDucheny. Newsoms administration believes that 7,000 to 12,000 people could qualify for the court-ordered care, a fraction of the estimated 161,000 people experiencing homelessness in California. A: California struggles and has struggled for decades to provide adequate housing for people experiencing homelessness. LZe$h#0m1Nx@,Z@XO"F"K"]w8|qWWhh\6^i Secretly, he still does. What was the most difficult thing about navigating that? Which is why we need the private sector to do what it does, which is to build housing.. Andrew Imparato, executive director of Disability Rights California, said his group was open to working with the administration and lawmakers on changes. Seeman is a Democrat. Her stories focus on AB 2830 was originally scheduled to be heard this week by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, but the hearing is now set for next week, similar to plans for its companion measure, Senate Bill 1338. Two Democrats have already introduced a bill that parallels the governors proposal. Through Project Roomkey, we increased the amount of shelter available in California by 50%, effectively overnight. Receive a free briefing on your state every day. Now, a little over a month into Mayor London Breeds term, Elliott is leaving City Hall to work for Lt. Gov. Richard Figueroa, 60, of Sacramento,has been appointedDeputy Cabinet Secretary. Health | More by Manuela Tobias, Jason Elliott, Gov. Gov. We believe the answer is yes, and we are in the process now of doing some program evaluation to be able to back that up with data. hV[k0+eeJ!l>;h\aaK:}>>Z -A Our behavioral health system is stretched very thin.. Hannah Wiley is a politics reporter for the Los Angeles Times Sacramento bureau covering the California Capitol and state agencies.