LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA — It was unanimous. When asked about their biggest topic of concern during a Thursday press conference kicking off the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting, a group of more than 40 mayors responded in unison: housing. “Our nation faces an affordable housing crisis,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, USCM’s first vice president. “This is a crisis that is impacting every community across our nation, regardless of its size, ZIP code or political makeup. We are all dealing with it, and unfortunately, this is not a new problem, but we've done more than talk about it. Mayors have delivered.” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said his city needs 26,000 housing units “to address future growth and existing need.” The city has entitled 6,000 units over the past three years — more than in any three-year span over the past 45 years. “And this is happening all over the country,” he said. Redmond, Washington, has been “very intentional” about creating more housing through significant investments in public transit and transit-oriented development, inclusionary zoning and a multifamily tax exemption, said Mayor Angela Birney. “All of these … are tools that all of these cities are using, if their states and the national government allows them to use them, to create more housing and more affordability,” she said. “There’s so many opportunities as long as we have a shared partnership, not just on the state level, but also on the national level, to leverage our resources,” said Hallandale Beach, Florida, Mayor Joy Cooper. Lansing, Michigan, Mayor Andy Schor said his city is using tax increment financing to incentivize housing development, and the state is providing funding, but “we need the federal government to engage.” The ROAD to Housing Act, which passed the House on May 20 and is pending