Mayor Gloria challenges county, state leaders on homelessness in State of the City speech

Driving the news: Shirking the pomp and circumstance of a Balboa Theatre evening address, Gloria issued his remarks from City Hall's humble council chambers and said voters told the city to scale back its ambitions when they rejected a November sales tax increase.

• "It is my expectation that we handle this structural deficit this year," he said. "No gimmicks. No Hail Mary passes. No cavalry is coming to save us. We can't wait for yet another revenue measure that might fail."
• Breaking with tradition, Gloria offered few policy priorities or promises for the year ahead, instead using his pedestal to point the finger at other governments.

What he's saying: He offered his most pointed criticism to date of San Diego County, which handles mental health and substance abuse, for failing to respond to the size and scope of the homelessness crisis.

• "It is my hope that anytime you see a person on the street suffering from extreme mental illness or addiction, that you think of the County of San Diego and ask them: When will they step up to provide the services needed to end this crisis?"

Between the lines: The mayor also challenged smaller cities in the county to expand shelter options, and criticized the state for allowing homeless encampments to grow under and around freeway ramps.

• "If the state can't or won't address these areas, they should give the city full authority to do this work and fully reimburse us for the costs," he said.

The intrigue: Gloria said the city would increase shelter options this year, despite its budget problems, but it's what he didn't mention that was most newsworthy.

• He explicitly said the city would open a safe parking site at H Barracks, near the airport, and "other new shelter facilities."
• But he did not mention Hope@Vine, the proposal for a 1,000-bed shelter in Middletown that a top priority last year.

That proposal faced a cold response from city officials already, and could be dead.

Friction point: Early in his first term, Gloria managed expectations by arguing he inherited a in an abysmal state from his predecessor, former Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Gloria's first order of business was repairing a bureaucracy allowed to break through indifference.

• Now in his second term, Gloria is focusing his attention on a budget shortfall and inaction by other governments.

Flashback: In last year's speech, Gloria joined efforts to rollback Proposition 47, the decade-old criminal justice reform.

• That eventually took the form of his support for Proposition 36, which increased penalties for certain theft and drug crimes.