Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Council President Herb Wesson and other members of the City Council called on supporters Friday to vote in favor of two November state ballot measures that will fund affordable and supportive housing.
Prop 1 would authorize a $4 billion bond to build and provide affordable housing for veterans, working families, people with disabilities and the homeless.
Prop 2 would help build housing that includes mental health services for chronically homeless people with $2 billion in bonds from the Mental Health Services Act approved by voters in 2004.
During a news conference outside City Hall attended by dozens of supporters of the measures, Garcetti said housing “is the prism through which we reflect everything. If you care about homelessness, you need to care about housing. If you care about mental health, you need to care about housing. If you care about veterans, you need to care about housing. If you care about economic competiveness, you need to care about housing. And if you think we can’t do something, you can show up in November in this state and say we care about each other, we care about California’s future and we’re voting yes on Props 1 and 2 and get the job done.”
Along with other civic leaders, council members Joe Buscaino, Jose Huizar, Monica Rodriguez, David Ryu, Bob Blumenfield and Paul Koretz attended the news conference before the City Council unanimously approved a resolution in support of the propositions.
“We need you to talk to your neighbors and talk to your friends because if you want to change public opinion, who better than the public to change public opinion,” Wesson said. “So we all have to come together and send a message that we are our brothers’ keepers, we are our sisters’ keepers, and lord knows we are the keepers of all children. So it is time for us to yes vote for these two propositions in November.”