San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria on Friday announced he would be joining the U.S. Conference of Mayors for a "National Affordability Tour" that will visit four cities next month.
Gloria, who has served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors since June, said the tour would stop in Albuquerque, N.M., to discuss the cost of childcare; Austin, Texas, to discuss housing; Columbus, Ohio, to discuss healthcare; and Atlanta, Ga., to discuss food and groceries.
"At every stop, we'll listen to residents and families who are feeling the squeeze," Gloria said. "We'll meet with local leaders and the people who are doing the hard work of delivering results. And we will highlight the solutions that can be strengthened and replicated in communities across America."
Earlier this month, the U.S. Conference of Mayors released the results of a survey of 113 mayors, 96% of whom said their residents are very or extremely concerned about affordability.
Gloria shrugged off a question about whether the tour would impact his ability to do his job in San Diego. Last year, Gloria dismissed the city's chief operating officer and took over day-to-day city operations, in addition to the more ceremonial duties of the mayor's office.
"I will guarantee you that the taxpayers of this city are going to get their money's worth out of me over the next couple of years," Gloria said. "It is very important right now, as San Diegans grapple with the high cost of living, that their mayor is explaining to folks all across this country, and importantly the decision makers in Washington, that we need their help to make sure that they can actually make ends meet."
On housing affordability, Gloria said cities across the country face similar housing shortages that drive up costs. San Diego's population had roughly doubled since he was born in 1978, Gloria said, but the city's annual home production had dropped from about 15,000 to fewer than 4,000.
"When you double your population and reduce your housing production by two-thirds, that is a perfect recipe for a housing affordability crisis and a homelessness crisis," Gloria said. "I recognize that change necessarily will bring conflict in communities, and I hear some of those voices about 'maybe not here, maybe not there.' We can't indulge that. We have to continue to build the housing."
