To the attention of
Governor Gavin Newsome,
Speaker Anthony Rendon,
Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins,
We, the undersigned local elected officials of municipalities in California do call upon the State Legislature of the State of California to appropriate one-time funding of $2 billion in direct assistance to local governments to help replace unavoidable revenue shortfalls that have come in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Due to the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, many cities are facing crippling deficits with impacts that could be felt for years to come.
These funds are desperately needed in order to save the jobs of hard-working civil servants, ensure public health and safety, deliver critical government services, and ensure continuity of local government operations beyond the emergency period of this pandemic.
For our cities and state to recover economically, residents need to know that their garbage will be picked up, that infrastructure will get repaired quickly, that that police and firefighters will show up when needed, and that city hall will remain responsive in all the functions of local government. When these services are gutted due to an unavoidable loss in municipal revenue, the economic engine that drives our statewide economy stalls.
This one-time expenditure will not only provide immediate relief to our struggling cities, but ensure that the people of California do not suffer the loss of essential utilities and services because of these financial shortfalls.
California’s cities need direct relief from our state government, and we need it now.