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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Contributor: If state funding vanishes, California's homelessness crisis will explode
As two former members of the California Legislature, we understand the complexities and tough fiscal choices that come with a tightly constrained budget. As mayors of two of California's largest cities, and members of the state's Big City Mayors coalition, we also know the devastating consequences of abandoning a statewide commitment to address the homelessness crisis — a crisis driven by decades of underinvestment and inadequate housing production. Homelessness is by far the most pressing issue facing communities up and down California, and the money the state has invested through the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Grant Program, known as HHAP, has had an enormous impact on our ability to get unhoused people off our streets. That's why we're concerned that the proposed state budget does not include another round of funding for the program. HHAP grants — which for California's biggest cities, with the biggest homeless populations, run into the millions of dollars — are essential to meet the goal of reducing encampments and getting unsheltered Californians on a path to permanent housing. Simply put, without these grants the state's homelessness problem will balloon. Read more: Granderson: Pushing more Americans into homelessness is no way to revitalize downtowns Thanks to HHAP, our two cities have seen significant reductions in homelessness. In January, San Diego's point-in-time count showed a 14% drop compared with 2024. Sacramento, where the most recent count was last year, achieved a 29% drop over two years. Previous rounds of HHAP funding allowed us to develop innovative, locally tailored solutions, resulting in real progress for thousands of our most vulnerable residents. Since HHAP's inception in 2019, California's 13 largest cities have used the state funds to create 17,691 shelter beds, connect more than 152,000 people to shelter, build 2,295 permanent housing units and place 42,215 Californians into temporary or permanent housing solutions. In Sacramento, HHAP resources support more than 1,300 units of emergency shelter and hundreds of permanent supportive housing units. San Diego has doubled its citywide shelter capacity, expanded street outreach teams and created new interventions, including its Safe Parking Program for people living in their cars. We understand that addressing homelessness is costly, and yet leaving people on the streets is far more expensive. Our police officers and firefighters find themselves on the front lines of the crisis, and that drives up costs for taxpayers. Businesses and schools are left to pick up the tab, too. Read more: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass won't be forced to testify about homeless programs We recognize the importance of accountability. Our backgrounds as former legislators have taught us the value of fiscal responsibility, transparency and showing results with public dollars. California's big cities are committed to ensuring HHAP funds are spent wisely and effectively. Big City Mayors tracks and reports how HHAP dollars are used, and we welcome additional oversight to ensure every dollar achieves maximum impact. The data prove that previous state investments are making a real difference. But the scale of the crisis demands sustained investment. We are at a critical juncture. As the Trump administration retreats from its responsibilities on homelessness, it's more important than ever for California to lead. The human cost of inaction is immense. Every day, we see the faces of those who are struggling — veterans, families, children and people with disabilities. And every day, we see what's possible when someone is moved from the sidewalk into shelter and then into a home. Read more: Can L.A. stop homelessness before it starts? An experimental program wants to find out We urge the Legislature to meet this moment by fully funding HHAP at $1 billion — with a state general fund of more than $225 billion to work with, that should be possible. The challenge of homelessness is not insurmountable — but we cannot afford to go backward. With support, our cities can continue their work making homelessness in the Golden State rare, brief and non-recurring. Todd Gloria is the mayor of San Diego and Kevin McCarty is the mayor of Sacramento. Both are former members of the California Legislature, and members of the 13-city California group Big City Mayors. If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
USA Today
03-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Countdown to Kickoff: Carl Granderson is the Saints Player of Day 96
We now stand 96 days away from the 2025 regular season opener for the New Orleans Saints. Sporting jersey number 96 for the Saints in a seventh straight year will be defensive end Carl Granderson. One of the few bright spots on the New Orleans defense last season, let's have a closer look at Granderson, our Saints Player of the Day, and his career to this point. Name (Age): Carl Granderson (28) Carl Granderson (28) Hometown: Sacramento, Calif. Sacramento, Calif. Position: Defensive end Defensive end Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 261 pounds 6-foot-5, 261 pounds Relative Athletic Score: 7.68 7.68 College: Wyoming Cowboys Wyoming Cowboys Drafted: Undrafted, 2019 (New Orleans Saints) Undrafted, 2019 (New Orleans Saints) NFL experience: 6 seasons 6 seasons 2025 salary cap hit: $6,482,000 A graduate of Grant Union High School in California, Granderson took his talents to the University of Wyoming. He'd be with the Cowboys for four years, compiling totals of 17.5 sacks and 36 tackles for loss while intercepting 3 passes and scoring two defensive touchdowns. Granderson led the Mountain West Conference with 16 stops for loss in 2017, adding 9.5 sacks on his way to first team All-Conference honors. He'd earn second team All-MWC accolades in 2018 with 3 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. A probable Day 2 pick in the 2019 NFL draft, Granderson slipped out of the draft altogether because of legal issues stemming from incidents at Wyoming. Those legal difficulties forced him to be inactive for the first half of his first NFL season after the Saints signed him as an undrafted rookie. Once behind him, Granderson began slowly working his way up the New Orleans depth chart. He was a rotational player for his first four seasons, averaging under 40% of the defensive snaps per year. However, he also showed tremendous potential and growth between 2019 and 2022. In limited opportunities, Granderson had 14.5 sacks, 28 QB hits, and 19 tackles for loss in those first four campaigns. By 2023, Granderson was a regular starter for New Orleans, averaging around 75% of the defensive snaps over the last two years. Over that time, he has 14 sacks, 60 pressures, 33 QB hits, and 23 tackles for negative yardage. He led the Saints in all four categories in 2023 while leading the team in negative tackles last season. There is some question where Granderson's fit will be in a new defensive scheme under coordinator Brandon Staley expected to run more 3-4 concepts. His length and speed around the edge could make him an excellent stand-up rusher, but his size will also allow him to play as a down lineman. Arguably the Saints most disruptive defender over the last two seasons, expect Carl Granderson to again be a vital part of New Orleans defensive packages again under Brandon Staley in 2025.
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFF names veteran defender most underrated Saints player ahead of 2025 season
PFF names veteran defender most underrated Saints player ahead of 2025 season What does it mean to be underrated? To not earn postseason honors like Pro Bowls and All-Pro votes? To not rank among the top earners at your position? Or to not be featured in many highlight reels? What about being drafted in the later rounds, or not at all? Maybe some combination of those factors, depending on who you ask. Pro Football Focus analyst Jonathon Macri made the case for Carl Granderson to be recognized as the New Orleans Saints' most underrated player, writing: Granderson's teammate Cameron Jordan has long been a poster boy for the league's most underrated players, but with Jordan reaching the end of his career, Granderson has taken over that lead edge defender role and is potentially an underrated player in his own right. Over the past two regular seasons, Granderson has delivered 119 quarterback pressures — the 16th most among all players at his position. He not only adds much-needed pass-rush upside, but his 80.7 PFF run-defense grade since 2022 ranks tied for 12th at the position. Granderson has become an important player for the Saints, even if his sacks totals won't wow you. He's steady in run defense and consistently pressures the quarterback off the edge. With Brandon Staley's new 3-4 base defense opening up new opportunities for him to line up further out wide from the rest of the formation, maybe Granderson can take a step forward and better establish himself on the national radar. The Saints need more guys like him to make an impact. Granderson is hitting his athletic prime at 28 years old and, as Macri alluded to, has positioned himself to inherit Jordan's spot as an every-down defender who could take point on the defensive line in the years ahead. Their teammate Chase Young may be more suited to the task, but he needs to prove he can stay healthy enough to do it. And to Macri's point -- Young's status as a former second overall draft pick doesn't quite meet the "underrated" qualification, compared to Granderson as a former rookie free agent.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why 2025 Detroit Tigers remind Curtis Granderson of 2006 team that went to World Series
Curtis Granderson returned to Comerica Park on May 13, this time reporting to the press box as a broadcaster instead of the clubhouse as a player. He was in town to provide coverage of the American League-best Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox, serving as the in-game analyst on the TBS national broadcast. Advertisement Granderson, 44, played 16 MLB seasons, including six seasons for the Tigers, from 2004-2009. He helped the Tigers make the 2006 World Series. He finished his playing career with a .249 batting average and 344 home runs in 2,057 games. Detroit Tigers' Curtis Granderson in 2008. Granderson talked to the Free Press — joining the May 12 episode of the "Days of Roar" podcast — about the 2006 Tigers, competing in the World Series at 25 years old, and what he expects from the 2025 Tigers, among other topics. [ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] Are there similarities between the 2025 Tigers and 2006 Tigers? "I think so. Detroit as a whole, there's always something to prove. You're always getting measured on the outside, like even going into the season, everyone talks about the AL Central and how it's never this division that anyone has to truly worry about, but I think that's a little different this year. Not only do we have teams that have been good, not only do we have teams that, once we get into the postseason, can upset you, here's the chance for us to continue to show you that we can be a dominant division from start to finish. You're seeing that with Cleveland, with Kansas City, with Detroit. Here are three teams in that division you don't want to face on a three- or four-game series. I think that's one of the exciting things about what's going on, not only with this team, but that division. I think it's all in front of the Tigers as of right now." The 2006 Tigers were 76-36 through 112 games. What was it like being that good for that long? "It was so fun going on the road and seeing the Tiger fans show up and pack the stands for batting practice. That's not necessarily normal. You have a few fans that are in there for batting practice. They want to see, and they want to get home run balls, but to see a majority of fans in there at that time, I hadn't seen that before. It was so cool to see that. And then when we got a chance to get on the field, especially in visiting ballparks, you could hear the Detroit Tiger fans represented. They were proud to let you know they were from Detroit, and that's our team out there that's playing very well and proudly beating your team right now. I think it also added to just the combination of all the culture over there. You had the Tigers that were playing well, you had the Pistons playing well, you had the Red Wings playing well. A lot of other teams we were facing had similarities, like Cleveland was good. When you had a chance to match up a rivalry like that, the city was packed, and everybody wanted to represent and show what was going on. It was just fun going to the ballpark. We had young energy mixed with veteran leadership, with Pudge (Rodriguez) and Dimitri (Young) and Sean Casey and Kenny Rogers. It was just a good group out there across the board. And then, of course, (Jim) Leyland was leading the ship. I always respected the fact that Leyland didn't matter if you were the first player on the team or if you had 100 years of experience, or if you had one day in the big leagues or you had the biggest contract ever. He treated everybody the same, which meant anybody could get yelled at, anybody could get praised, anybody could play and anybody could get taken out of the lineup. That respect, hands down, went across the entire organization. I think that's what helped make us such a tight-knit group over there because he truly was in charge — I'm the leader, just do the things that I say, take care of your business, and everything will be OK. That's how we did it." Advertisement STOCK WATCH: Spencer Torkelson powers up as one of AL's top sluggers It was May 20 at Comerica Park, when Ken Griffey Jr. put the Cincinnati Reds ahead, 6-5, with a grand slam in the seventh inning, but you tied the game, 6-6, with a solo home run off David Weathers with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, then the Tigers won in extra innings. What does that homer from 2006 mean to you? "The first part of it is the Ken Griffey Jr. part. I'm a huge Ken Griffey Jr. fan. Any kid that was in my age group, that was your guy growing up. I still have a poster of him up today in my parents' home right now. Not only does Ken Griffey come up against my roommate, Joel Zumaya, throwing 100 mph, but he hits the homer over my head. Deep down, I'm like, 'Ken Griffey Jr. just hit a home run over my head.' Obviously, that's not the situation you want to have happen, but I can't help but geek out in that situation. Sure enough, he does that. And then we come back, and I get a chance to tie it up. I think that was the sense of energy that you started to feel and see amongst the fan base, like this isn't just a fluke, our team is good, our team has a chance, and we're going to get behind them — if they keep doing what they're doing, we're going to show them the same energy so everybody can feel it. That was just such a cool moment for a number of reasons. We ended up winning, but that whole Ken Griffey Jr. thing, I got to fanboy there for a little bit. It was just a unique situation for that to happen that way." What was it like playing in the 2006 World Series at 25 years old? "The last month and a half of the season, where all of a sudden, we started to struggle, I felt like we were putting pressure on ourselves. And then we get to the playoffs, and things loosen up. We started enjoying and having fun again. And then when we got to the World Series, I think that crept in again, at least for me. I felt like I had to do something here so we can win the World Series. I didn't have a great World Series. I think Sean Casey was the only player who had any type of hits throughout that whole World Series. I remember saying to myself afterwards, 'If I'm fortunate to get back here again, I'm just going to enjoy the moment and have as much fun as possible.' The crazy part, it took me nine years to get back there in 2015 with the (New York) Mets. I was like, 'I'm having fun. I don't care what's going on here, I'm having fun.' So I'm out there dancing in the outfield. We're up, we're down, we're doing this, but I felt like I gave myself the best chance to be able to help this team in that World Series versus the first World Series. For the young players, if you're fortunate enough to get there, this is where you want to be. This is the moment we've all dreamt about. Just enjoy it and have fun in that moment. You can't hit a 10-run home run. You never could. You're not going to be able to do it right now. But if I enjoy it and go, 'This is what I've been hoping for to get to,' then things take care of themselves. That would be my advice for the young players if they happen to get there." Advertisement BEAT WRITER RETURNS: Five Tigers takeaways from watching as new dad on paternity leave What's your prediction for the 2025 Tigers? "It's amazing to see, especially with all those offensive numbers. When that team got into the playoffs last year, one of the things that was constant conversations. They don't hit the ball out of the ballpark, they aren't going to beat you with their bats. They're going to be in the game. They're going to grind at-bats. They're going to pitch. They're going to have an opportunity. But you don't have to worry about them out-slugging you. Now that's completely different. The run differential is huge, and knowing you have an ace, especially with Game 1 or an elimination game or a big game in a series, it's a big confidence boost when you know the opposition does not want to face that pitcher. A combination of all those things working collectively over there gives them the ability to be able to go very long into the season, if everything continues to go that way. Now the bats are going to get cold at some point. It's just the reality of it. That's the nature of the beast. But when they do, can you revert and still manufacture and do the things like you did last year? If they can, that's going to be an amazing recipe for success because they've shown they can win that way last year, and you add the fact that we can hit the ball out of the ballpark on top of that. Those are some big positives. Not every team can do that. When the bats go cold, usually, the whole team gets cold. But if you can't hit the ball out of the ballpark, and you can still find a way to score some runs, that's a good thing to have." Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ or follow him @EvanPetzold. Advertisement Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!' by the Free Press at Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Curtis Granderson talks about 2006 World Series
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
4 suspected human trafficking victims found in Ohio, 2 men arrested
Two men were arrested in Columbus, accused of the human trafficking of four victims, including one minor, according to a release from Attorney General Dave Yost. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Timarrea Granderson, 27, and Larry Hill, 26, both from Texas, were arrested March 13 after an investigation through the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Columbus police. Officers located and arrested Granderson first. He was with one of the four victims at the time of his arrest, according to the attorney general. TRENDING STORIES: Airline enhancing flight service to major city from Dayton International Airport Doctor's office closed after car crashes into building Woman dead after crash involving tractor Hill was arrested later that evening after he barricaded himself inside a home in Columbus on West Kanawha Avenue. He was located with two other victims, the release says. The fourth victim was found at another location. The victims are all Texas residents, and are being cared for by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, the release says. Granderson and Hill will face charges in Texas, including trafficking of a person and compelling the prostitution of a minor. They will be extradited to Texas, according to the release. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
