Mayor Garcetti declares, "We are here to end homelessness"

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- "We are here to end homelessness," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared Monday during his State of the City address.

Calling homelessness the "greatest moral and humanitarian crisis of our time, Garcetti announced that his budget will include $430 million to "take this crisis head on." The city plans to spend the money on housing and other services for the homeless in the year that begins July 1, up from $178 million in the current year, documents show.

"Accepting things the way they are is unacceptable," Garcetti said.

Most of the funding will come from borrowing authorized by voters in 2016 to address the city's homeless crisis. One report last year estimated that there are more than 34,000 people living on city streets, a sharp jump from the prior year.

During his address, his fifth in office, Garcetti also floated the idea of getting funds from Sacramento. He said the state now has a $6 billion budget surplus, and the mayor said he wants some of that money to come to Los Angeles

"Homeless Angelenos can't wait years to get off our streets. We need more options for bringing them inside now. This week, thanks to the City Council, we will put in place an emergency shelter crisis declaration so we can build shelters across L.A. as quickly as possible, bypassing red tape and regulations that would slow down the urgency of that construction," Garcetti said, referencing an initiative to immediately start building emergency shelters in every district of Los Angeles. The mayor said he wants all districts -- not just downtown Los Angeles -- to take responsibility for the homeless issue.

One report last year estimated that there are more than 34,000 people living on city streets, a sharp jump from the prior year.

Garcetti also announced that SpaceX will start Falcon Rocket development in the Port of Los Angeles.

The mayor has just returned from a trip to Iowa, a possible sign of a 2020 presidential run.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.