Politics

What to Watch for as Republicans Gather for Winter Meeting

Published

9 years ago

January 14, 2015

In this photo taken Dec. 1, 2014. for Republican presidential canadiate Mitt Romney smiles on the field before an NFL football game between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins in East Rutherford, N.J. Mitt Romney is reaching out to former staff and supporters as he considers a third run for president. Romney and his wife, Ann, phoned former backers in the early voting states of New Hampshire and Iowa to gauge their support over the weekend. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

STEVE PEOPLES, Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Republican National Committee’s 168 members gather this week in San Diego for the party’s annual winter meeting. It’s the first formal gathering since the party’s strong performance in the midterm elections, and the upcoming race for president will dominate most of the discussion at the Hotel del Coronado.

Here’s a look at five things to watch for once the meeting opens Wednesday.

1. 2016 Jockeying

Several of the party’s White House prospects and their representatives will spend the week jockeying for position publicly and privately among the RNC’s members and donors. Among them: 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, added to the program just 36 hours before the conference opens.

2. History for Reince

Reince Priebus is poised to make history this week should he win re-election as RNC chairman, and the former head of the Wisconsin GOP had no formal challenger in the days leading into the meeting. Coming off a midterm election that exceeded the party’s expectations, Priebus is unlikely to face anything more than token opposition in his quest for a third two-year term. A victory would make Priebus the longest-serving chairman in RNC history.

3. Limited Debates

The RNC plans to follow through on a pledge to limit the number of Republican presidential primary debates. Party elders believe the number of debates in the 2012 campaign contributed to the GOP’s struggles. This week, they’re expected to finalize a limited schedule that will include moderators of the party’s choosing. The shift is part of several rule changes designed to make the party’s nominee stronger in the general election.

4. Post-Mortem

The week’s official goal is to help state GOP leaders break down their performance in the midterms, with the aim of improving their work headed into the 2016 presidential contest. State party officials will spend much of the meeting’s first day strategizing behind closed doors. The discussion is expected to focus on the party’s ground game and digital efforts, a major focus under Priebus’ leadership.

5. Immigration Looms Again

More than two years ago, the RNC called for the party to embrace comprehensive immigration reform — a recommendation that was ultimately rejected by the majority of Republicans on Capitol Hill. Those same party leaders may face tough questions this week as House Republicans in Washington are poised to vote to block President Barack Obama’s recent executive actions on immigration.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

6 days ago

April 26, 2024

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MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.