Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will redirect money from California jurisdictions that don’t show results in reducing homelessness
The announcement Thursday came after Newsom helped clear a homeless encampment in Los Angeles alongside the state’s Department of Transportation.
The governor issued an executive order in July calling on state agencies to begin taking down homeless encampments on state property and encouraged local governments to adopt similar policies.
The Democratic governor’s order followed a US Supreme Court decision in June that ruled in favor of an Oregon city that ticketed homeless people for sleeping outside. Newsom’s order calls on state officials “to adopt humane and dignified policies to urgently address encampments on state property.”
Newsom made pointed comments Thursday criticizing some local jurisdictions fornot doing enough despite the “unprecedented resources” the state has provided.
“No more excuses. You’ve got the money, you got the flexibility, you got the green light, you got support from the state, and the public is demanding it of you,” Newsom said. “I’m here on behalf of 40 million Californians that are fed up. I’m here because I’m one of them. I want to see results.”
California has the largest homeless population in the nation, with more than 180,000 of the estimated 653,000 people experiencing homelessness nationwide residing in the Golden State, according to a 2023 report to Congress from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The comments come after some municipalities have pushed back against the idea of issuing citations or jailing people in homeless encampments. In July, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of a motion affirming its jails won’t be used to hold homeless people arrested when encampments are broken up. County officials said the approach was already in effect.
Addressing the pushback, Newsom said his order emphasizes working with local service providers to get people resources and doesn’t mention citations.
“The rhetoric is increasingly stale. This is not about criminalization. What’s criminal, is neglecting people who are struggling and suffering and dying on our watch,” he said.
He also said his comments about inaction “is not an indictment” of the City of Los Angeles and Mayor Karen Bass, but instead “more broadly an indictment of counties” that “need to do more.”
“This is not one of those political things,” Newsom said. “This is a sincerely held belief that we need local government to step up. This is a crisis, act like it.”
Money could start being redirected in January when the state starts forming its budget proposals, Newsom said.
The governor's comments on Thursday were made directly to these local jurisdictions, expressing frustration that they haven't done enough, despite the resources provided by the state and the expectations of the public. Despite some municipalities pushing back against the idea of issuing citations or jailing people in homeless encampments, us as a state are still in need of more action to address the homelessness crisis.
