The Honorable Catherine Blakespear
Senator, State of California
1021 O Street, Suite 7720
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Elena Durazo, Chair
Senate Local Government Committee
State Capitol, Room 407
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Jesse Arreguin, Chair
Senate Human Services Committee
1020 N Street, Room 521
Sacramento, CA 95814
On behalf of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, I am writing to express our strong opposition to Senate Bill 16 (Blakespear). SB 16 mandates that counties fund 50% of each city's estimated annual operating costs for homeless-serving facilities over a three-year period. For Tulare County, this requirement translates to substantial financial obligations that could strain our budget and compromise our ability to deliver essential services to our residents.
The absence of guaranteed state funding effectively imposes an unfunded mandate on counties already operating under fiscal constraints. Mandating the use of county funds for city homeless shelters is essentially an unfunded mandate, as Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) and other funds are already allocated for projects that address homelessness. A new requirement should have a new, dedicated, and adequate funding stream. Otherwise, it actively undermines the outcome that it is intended to produce.
For example, BHSA funds set aside for homelessness are currently allocated for several important projects, including the following: providing transitional housing and supportive services to young adults; street outreach and interim case management services to homeless individuals; outreach, navigation, and wraparound services for individuals; residential care at multiple facilities with 24/7 support for seniors and adults with serious mental health concerns, including creation of a new facility; bridge housing for adults transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing; housing rental assistance for adults living with serious mental health concerns; providing supportive housing services to multiple housing sites to keep community members housed in safe and stable settings; recovery-oriented treatment and supports, including supports not covered by billable claims; and supporting the coordinated entry system, a state-mandated activity.
Additionally, the bill's provision for appointing an independent arbitrator to determine county funding levels, should a county deem the mandated contributions financially infeasible, undermines local decision-making authority. Such measures encroach upon the autonomy of local governments to manage their resources and prioritize initiatives based on the unique needs of their communities. Tulare County is already contributing to the funding of all city shelters within its jurisdiction, following agreements worked out between the County and the cities according to local needs, prioritization, and fiscal constraints. Mandating the shifting of funds away from local priorities to increase the amount of funds dedicated to city shelters undermines local control without increasing the effectiveness of California’s response to homelessness.
The bill authorizes the Department of Health Care Services to impose monetary sanctions, corrective action plans, or withhold state funds if a county fails to meet its financial obligations. Such punitive measures threaten to destabilize county budgets and impede our ability to effectively serve our communities. Worse, taking away funding from local homeless initiatives as a punishment for counties which already lack the resources to adequately address the problem would further deprive its homeless programs of the very resources they need to better serve the unhoused population, thereby making a difficult problem even harder to address. Local governments also do not have control over the many factors that contribute to homelessness, such as the limited availability and skyrocketing costs of housing, inflationary pressures and a relatively high cost of living in California, and lack of subsidies and vouchers to support housing placements.
Tulare County remains committed to addressing homelessness through collaborative and fiscally responsible approaches. However, without significant revisions, SB 16 poses challenges that could hinder our efforts and compromise the well-being of our residents. We urge you to consider these concerns and oppose the bill in its current form.
Sincerely,
Pete Vander Poel, Chair
Tulare County Board of Supervisors
cc: Tulare County State Delegation, Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange