On Wednesday, Oakland announced the expansion of our Teachers Rooted in Oakland (TRiO) pilot, which aims to increase recruitment and retention of teachers of color by providing affordable housing options. TRiO provides a $500 guaranteed income for new teacher residents and stipends for those who specialize in hard-to-staff subject areas, like STEM and Special Education. We're focusing on retaining teachers of color in these areas for our diverse student body because studies show when teachers look like their students, the students have far better experiences and outcomes.

TRiO is what it looks like when a city comes together to wrap their arms around our children — and our teachers.

KTVU Article | City Press Release | Video

On Tuesday, we welcomed Gov. Newsom in Oakland for a historic bill-signing that will kickstart 84,000 new units of housing across California. Our state's commitment to build more affordable housing has never been stronger or more urgent. We were proud to host this press conference at Coliseum Connections in East Oakland—110 units next to BART that partners City and County resources to build housing that's affordable, modular, and walkable. Thanks to these bills signed by the Governor, lots more is to come.

Last week, I joined San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo for a roundtable discussion hosted by SPUR on lessons learned during the pandemic and what the "new normal" will look like in our region. We talked about guaranteed income, housing, and health—issues that affect each of our cities and our shared Bay Area. I'm happy to be united in partnership with my fellow Bay Area mayors as we continue to lead on these important issues, and continue to put people first.