Here's a Press Release put out by our SEIU California State Council…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2020

CONTACT: Mike Roth, 916.444.7170 Maria Elena Jauregui, 818.355.5291 (Spanish-language)

Sacramento, CA—The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California released the following statement today from Bob Schoonover, President of SEIU California and SEIU Local 721 on Governor Newsom’s executive action and proposed investment to address California’s homelessness emergency:

“SEIU members share Governor Newsom’s resolve to address the crisis of homelessness, which denies dignity and humanity to so many Californians forced onto our streets by predatory rents, low wages, and a threadbare social safety net. We enthusiastically support efforts to deliver urgent housing relief while shoring up the crucial public infrastructure needed to ensure people can transition off the streets and into long-term housing, while preventing more Californians from joining the ranks of the unsheltered.

“As the frontline workers who reach out to help and provide essential, life-saving services to people experiencing homelessness, SEIU members welcome the opportunity to share our expertise and vision for reshaping the Mental Health Services Act to better prevent and alleviate homelessness and ensure California invests in supports through county safety net services, schools, courts, and communities to achieve a California for All.

“Eradicating this crisis will require accountability, transparency, high standards, and a workforce that is empowered, valued, and respected. Together in our union, workers throughout the social safety net are dedicated to creating a pathway to tackling the crisis of homelessness and ensuring that all Californians, whether we are rich or poor, brown, Black, white or API, have a place to call home.”

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