San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed this week is attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors 91st Winter Meeting to meet with leaders from across the nation and federal partners on issues important to San Francisco, including addressing homelessness and the ongoing fentanyl and opioid crisis. Mayor Breed will participate in the conference Tuesday through Thursday and return to San Francisco Thursday evening.
The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are over 1,400 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. The Conference holds its Winter Meeting each January in Washington, D.C. and an Annual Meeting each June in a different U.S. city. Conference members speak with a united voice on organizational policies and goals. Mayors contribute to the development of national urban policy by serving on one or more of the conference’s standing committees.
"The challenges we face in San Francisco are not unique. Cities across the country are working tirelessly to combat the opioid epidemic and create commonsense solutions that support our country’s growing homelessness crisis and housing shortages,” said Mayor Breed. “These meetings are an opportunity for city leaders to share our local efforts and challenges so we can learn from one another and be unified in working together to strengthen our cities and our country.”
The 91st Winter Meeting of The United States Conference of Mayors will feature local and federal leaders discussing solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing America’s cities, including:
- Public safety
- Immigration
- Affordable housing
- Global climate challenges
- Mental health
- Creating jobs
Mayors will also focus on the implementation of the historic legislative achievements of the past 18 months, including the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the SAFER Communities Act.
During the Conference, Mayor Breed will participate in various U.S. Conference of Mayors events, including speaking on two panels:
Strategies to Reduce Homelessness Panel: Wednesday, January 18
- Mayor Breed will join a panel moderated by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to discuss city initiatives and the recently released Federal Strategic Plan to reduce homelessness. Other panelists include Mayor Todd Gloria, San Diego, CA; Jeff Olivet, Executive Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH); Phil Mangano, CEO, Abolitionist Against Homelessness, former executive director of USICH.
Mayors Tackle the Opioid/Fentanyl Epidemic Panel: Thursday, January 19
- Mayor Breed will join a panel moderated by Richmond (VA) Mayor Levar Stoney to discuss the opioid/fentanyl epidemic and share San Francisco’s ongoing public health and public safety efforts to address these challenges. Other panelists include Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; Steve Williams, Mayor of Huntington, WV; Ted Wheeler, Mayor of Portland, OR; Justin Bibb, Mayor of Cleveland, OH; Darrell Steinberg, Mayor of Sacramento, CA; and Juhana Vartiainen, Mayor of Helsinki, Finland.
The full USCM draft agenda may be found here.
While in Washington D.C. for the conference, Mayor Breed will also join President Biden at the White House to celebrate the Golden State Warriors’ 2022 NBA Championship title. The event is a longstanding White House tradition and will be held in the East Room. Mayor Breed will also attend the inauguration of Maryland Governor Wes Moore, the first African American to be elected to lead the State of Maryland.
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