Advocacy Priorities
for California Cities
California’s 483 cities are
diverse and unique, but we are
united with a clear message
to the state: Cities are a smart
investment for a strong California.
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ensuring every resident has
access to the essential local
services they depend upon. But
they cannot do it alone. To keep
California strong and resilient, the
state must partner with cities to
support our unhoused residents,
increase housing supply,
improve public safety, strengthen
disaster preparedness, and keep
our local economies strong.
BUDGET
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headwinds just like the state. This means
we all need to work together to protect
what is most important to Californians:
Keep residents in their homes, protect
our environment, and ensure our
communities are safe. Cal Cities is calling
on lawmakers to fund three city priorities:
• Invest a minimum of $1 billion in
ongoing funding to the Homeless
Housing, Assistance and Prevention
(HHAP) grant program.
• Allocate $400 million to fully
implement Proposition 36, and
respect the will of the voters.
• Devote $100 million in Cap-and-
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and $29 million for local organic
waste diversion efforts.
Scan for more detailed information
about Cal Cities’ advocacy priorities.
www.calcities.org/2026-advocacy-priorities
2026 Advocacy
Priorities for
California Cities
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HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING
Cities are investing their own dollars to connect
unhoused residents to services and housing and
jumpstart affordable housing construction. But
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ongoing state funding are hindering progress.
SUPPORT
AB 1708 (Solache): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that
would increase access to state homelessness
funding for cities with populations under
300,000.
AB 2296 (Papan): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that
would allow cities to start drafting their housing
elements six months earlier and requires the
state to improve the housing element review
process and provide greater certainty.
AB 736 (Wicks) & SB 417 (Cabaldon): A $10
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rental housing and homeownership programs.
SB 79 Clean-up legislation: Cal Cities is calling
for a delay in the law’s implementation until the
7th Regional Housing Needs Allocation cycle
to provide locals adequate time to plan, and
to allow the state to develop clear guidance
and technical assistance. Cal Cities strongly
opposes any effort to expand SB 79 to include
additional transit stops.
OPPOSE
SB 866 (Blakespear): This bill would require all
but 14 cities to add extensive homelessness
reporting requirements to their housing
elements – targeting cities that do not have
access to state homelessness funding.
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
City leaders are preparing their communities for
the long-term impacts of climate change and
rapidly responding when disasters strike. But cities
do not have the budgets and resources needed to
address these challenges alone.
SUPPORT
AB 2517 (Calderon): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that
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to provide consistent, timely public updates when
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severity zone maps to provide greater protections
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AB 1866 (Rogers): Cal Cities-sponsored bill
that would require the state, following a state-
declared emergency, to prioritize allocating state
disaster public assistance to local agencies that
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OPPOSE CHANGES TO WILDFIRE LIABILITY
Cal Cities urges lawmakers to reject any changes
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accountable for ensuring infrastructure safety,
and victims and local governments must continue
to receive full compensation for property
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FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY
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to keep our communities healthy, safe, and vibrant.
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cities’ ability to deliver essential services to residents.
SUPPORT
SB 922 (Laird): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that
would clarify cities may recover the cost of street
maintenance and road repair costs caused by
public service operations, such as waste hauling,
through service-related fees and charges.
OPPOSE
Unfunded Mandates: Local agencies are already
owed over $1 billion in unfunded state mandates.
This year, lawmakers have introduced over 300
new bills that create or expand state-mandated
programs. The Legislature’s priorities should not be
funded on the backs of cities.
PUBLIC SAFETY
The progress cities have been making to strengthen
public safety must be sustained. Cities need a
strong state partner to build on this momentum and
ensure our communities remain safe and thriving.
SUPPORT
SB 758 (Umberg): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that
would ban the sale of nitrous oxide in retail
establishments that have a tobacco license,
except grocery stores.
AB 1941 (Gonzalez, Mark): Cal Cities co-sponsored
bill that would add new penalties for copper wire
theft by targeting repeat and organized offenders
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According to Cal Cities’
new (2026) survey of city
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not received funding from
the largest source of state homelessness funding
available to local governments (HHAP) . Seven
in 10 cities are concerned about their ability to
provide existing homelessness services long-term.
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