Gov. Gavin Newsom is demanding to know Turlock’s plan regarding homelessness — specifically, how it plans to fund the We Care homeless shelter — and implored the city council to do a better job in addressing the needs of the unhoused.
In a letter dated May 9 and addressed to Mayor Amy Bublak and members of the city council, the governor took issue with the body’s April 8 decision against making a nominal $1 contribution that would have secured $267,100 in state grant funds for the shelter.
The 3-2 vote not to support We Care — Bublak and councilmembers Rebecka Monez (District 2) and Erika Phillips (District 3) voted against, while Kevin Bixel (District 1) and Cassandra Abram (District 3) voted for the funds — and the blowback it generated helped to put the city in Newsom’s crosshairs.
In addition to We Care, the governor mentioned that Turlock’s Housing Element plan is more than a year overdue.
In order for the private market to adequately address housing demands, the state requires city and county governments to adopt Housing Element plans that lay out opportunities for development. Housing policy in California is driven largely by these plans.
“The governor’s mention of the Housing Element in the letter made this an issue beyond We Care,” said interim city manager Sue Borrego. “Right now, for our considerations, I’m looking at what this means for Turlock.”
The council, along with Borrego and city attorney George Petrulakis, met in closed session Tuesday evening for less than 30 minutes to mull potential legal action by the state. Matters discussed in closed session are private, but it was clear from Newsom’s letter, and from the meeting agenda, what the council was considering.
Meanwhile, We Care has continued to limp along without the grant that is equal to half of its yearly operating budget.
We Care executive director Corey Mai said at the April 8 meeting that without the funds, the shelter might have to cease operations after June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
We Care houses and feeds up to 49 men each night.
"A lot of people are working to try and get money for We Care,” said Mai, who has since stepped down as executive director. “At the end of the day, I think We Care is going to be OK.”
The Stanislaus Community Foundation plans to contribute $50,000 to We Care’s coffers, according to Marian Kaanon, president and CEO of the Modesto-based nonprofit.
Kaiser and the United Way of Stanislaus County also are stepping up.
“Our board met and allocated almost $20,000 toward We Care,” said Keristofer Seryani, president and CEO of United Way of Stanislaus County, which also oversees Tuolumne and Calaveras counties. “We cannot have it close. We believe in work they’re doing, and the 49 men they serve each night need shelter. To use this as a political ploy, keeping homeless on the street, is inhumane.”
Seryani, a Turlock resident who also serves the city on the Parks and Recreation Commission, said that Kaiser is considering a similar contribution.
“I’ve not seen the paperwork for it but I know Kaiser has indicated a contribution of $25,000,” said Seryani. “I know the shortfall is $267,000, but we’ve been talking to Supervisor (Vito) Chiesa, and looking at other areas where we can step up and support We Care.”
Bublak conducted an interview with local NBC affiliate KCRA 3 out of Sacramento last month, where she was asked about the council’s decision. Newsom seized upon her comments in that interview.
“Mayor Bublak defended that decision by stating that the city needs to ‘start changing the way we do homelessness,’” Newsom said. “I am writing to express my concern that the ‘change’ the city seems to be making is to do nothing about homelessness at all.”
Newsom went on to say that he hopes Turlock will alter its course.
“It is imperative that the city reconsider its priorities and demonstrate the kind of collaborative, accountable, and solutions-oriented leadership this crisis demands,” Newsom wrote. “Enough. Do your job.”
The governor is not without his critics when it comes to the issue of homelessness. Since Newsom was first elected in 2019, the state has spent nearly $25 billion, according to the state auditor, in efforts to combat the crisis, while about 190,000 Californians remain without a home.
