SAN FRANCISCO >> The San Francisco Board of Supervisors narrowly failed to pass a resolution Tuesday urging California Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency on homelessness.

The resolution garnered seven votes, one shy of what was needed for the expedited proposal. The 11-member board is expected to re-consider the resolution and eventually approve it.

Supervisor Jane Kim said that state coordination and resources are needed to address an issue that knows no city or county borders. About 20 percent of the country’s homeless live in California.

A spokeswoman for Brown’s office declined comment.

Homelessness consistently ranks as a top issue with San Francisco residents, along with high housing costs.

City workers this month tore down a tent city that had proliferated along a busy street, vexing residents and businesses for months before it was declared a health hazard.

Hawaii and Los Angeles are among jurisdictions that have declared states of emergency, using the proclamations to move around money or bypass zoning ordinances to provide shelter for the unhoused.

Emergency declarations generally apply to public health epidemics, acts of terror or natural disasters, such as earthquakes or wildfires. For example, Brown has declared emergencies in several counties due to rainy winter storms that damaged highways, requiring assistance from the state’s transportation agency.

California’s emergency services spokesman Kelly Huston said Tuesday before the vote that jurisdictions must prove the emergency has exhausted local resources.

The resolution asks for the state to inventory surplus public property that could be used to shelter the homeless on an emergency and short-term basis.