HomeMy WebLinkAboutDiamond Bar AB 1708 (Solache) Letter of Support
City of Diamond Bar
21810 Copley Drive | Diamond Bar, CA 91765-4178
909-839-7000 | Fax 909-861-3117
www.DiamondBarCA.gov
Steve Tye
Mayor
District 1
Ruth M. Low
Mayor Pro Tem
District 2
Andrew Chou
Council Member
District 3
Stan Liu
Council Member
District 5
Chia Yu Teng
Council Member
District 4
March 5, 2026
The Honorable José Luis Solache
California State Assembly, 62nd District
1020 N St. Rm. 5110
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support of Assembly Bill 1708 (Solache) – Homeless Housing, Assistance, and
Prevention (HHAP) Pathway for Cities (As introduced 2/4/2026)
Dear Assembly Member Solache,
On behalf of the City of Diamond Bar, I am writing to express our support of AB 1708
(Solache), which would create a new pathway for cities with populations under 300,000
to access state homelessness funding.
Homelessness is a statewide concern that affects communities of all sizes. Since 2019, the
state’s flagship homelessness grant program, the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and
Prevention (HHAP) Grant program, has provided direct funding to cities with populations
over 300,000, all 58 counties, and the 44 Continuums of Care (CoCs) across California. The
City of Diamond Bar does not meet current criteria for direct funding and therefore faces
the same unique and significant challenges in addressing homelessness, with no direct
funding to implement effective, locally tailored long-term solutions.
AB 1708 would require CoCs, before allocating funding to other subrecipients in their
region, to accept applications for 30 days only from cities with populations under 300,000.
This measure would strike a reasonable balance between access and accountability,
requiring interested cities to commit to regionally coordinated action plans and adhere
to state housing and encampment policies. AB 1708 would also require CoCs to prioritize
applications from cities that have existing partnerships with nonprofits, other cities, or have
already leveraged state and local funding for existing projects in their communities. This
would ensure that limited state resources are deployed efficiently and deliver measurable
results in reducing homelessness.
Additional access to California’s homelessness funding would allow the City of Diamond
Bar to expand outreach and case management services and enhance partnerships with
regional service providers to better address homeless encampments. The City currently
participates in the regional homeless outreach and supportive services programs
administered by the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and operated by the Los
Angeles Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, which provide street outreach services,
access to medical and mental health treatment, DMV services, food pantry, hygiene
services, and connection to various types of housing programs. However, allocation and
access to such services are provided only on a referral basis by a team serving a region
Assembly Member Solache
March 5, 2026
Page 2
comprising five cities, including Diamond Bar. Recently, the City has invested significant
General Fund resources to support homelessness response activities, including dedicated
outreach services and encampment resolution efforts.
Local governments, like the City of Diamond Bar, are best positioned to identify the
programs and partnerships that will have the greatest impact in our communities.
For these reasons, the City of Diamond Bar is pleased to support AB 1708.
Sincerely,
Steve Tye
Mayor, City of Diamond Bar
cc: Diamond Bar City Council
Senator Bob J. Archuleta, 30th District
Assembly Member Lisa Calderon, 56th District
Jennifer Quan, Regional Public Affairs Manager, League of California Cities
League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org