Contributor: If state funding vanishes, California's homelessness crisis will explode

As two former members of the California Legislature, we understand the complexities and tough fiscal choices that come with a tightly constrained budget. As mayors of two of California’s largest cities, and members of the state’s Big City Mayors coalition, we also know the devastating consequences of abandoning a statewide commitment to address the homelessness crisis — a crisis driven by decades of underinvestment and inadequate housing production.

Homelessness is by far the most pressing issue facing communities up and down California, and the money the state has invested through the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Grant Program, known as HHAP, has had an enormous impact on our ability to get unhoused people off our streets.

That’s why we’re concerned that the proposed stat