Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday urged California cities to clear homeless encampments, escalating efforts anew to address the makeshift tents that line underpasses, parks and streets up and down the state.
The Democratic governor unveiled a blueprint for a camping ban for cities and counties to follow in announcing more than $3 billion in grants for facilities to treat homeless people and others who struggle with mental health and substance use disorders.
He used the occasion to exhort cities and counties once again to use the money and policy changes provided by the state to do their part to help eradicate the disturbing street conditions that have come to define much of California
“No more excuses,” he said at a news conference, adding, “It is time to take back the streets. It’s time to take back the sidewalks. It’s time to take these encampments and provide alternatives.”
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Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, made homelessness a priority upon taking office in 2019, tackling statewide a problem long the purview of mayors and local officials. He has pressed on local leaders to think bigger to battle what has become one of the most pressing public health and safety issues in California — and one sure to dog Newsom if he runs for national office.
He appears to be the first Democratic governor to offer a statewide blueprint for local encampment bans. California has more than 187,000 people in need of housing, a quarter of the U.S. homeless population.
Supreme Court allows crackdown
Last year the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier for officials to ban homeless people from camping outside. Many Democratic leaders welcomed the ruling though advocates for homeless people criticized the conservative court's decision as cruel.
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Newsom's model ordinance includes prohibitions on “persistent camping” in one location and encampments blocking sidewalks. It asks cities and counties to provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter before clearing an encampment.
Major cities have already started cracking down on encampments.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie pledged to clean up city sidewalks while San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has proposed arrests if a person refuses shelter three times. Both Democrat-led cities have ramped up the number of shelter beds available.
In Los Angeles, Democratic Mayor Karen Bass has made clearing encampments a priority but sagging tents, makeshift shelters and rusting RVs remain a common sight in nearly every neighborhood. An annual tally last year estimated that more than 45,000 homeless people were living in the city.
Critics question encampment bans
In a Los Angeles neighborhood Monday, Jay Joshua oversaw a small encampment of about half a dozen tents where he lives. Joshua said he cleans the area daily because of a school nearby. He said encampments can be a safe space for those living there.
“It helps certain people build their lives back,” he said.
Critics say punitive bans make it even harder for homeless people to find stable housing and employment.
“My immediate reaction was that this is a distraction from a state budget that isn’t likely to have funding for housing and homelessness,” said Alex Visotzky with the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
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Organizations representing California's cities and counties have balked at the implication that they are to blame, and say they need sustained funding.
“Clearing encampments may be the most visible part of this crisis, but without addressing the underlying root causes of homelessness, the cycle will only repeat itself,” said Carolyn Coleman, executive director and CEO of the League of California Cities.
She said that eight in 10 cities have policies to address encampments.
The California State Association of Counties said the state has not provided as much money to address homelessness as it says it has and that half of the money has gone to housing developers.
Voters want changes
Housing and homeless advocates have applauded Newsom for pushing cities and counties to build more housing, especially for the unhoused.
He also pushed a voter-approved measure last year for more treatment beds for homeless people with serious mental illnesses or substance abuse problems, so they don't wind up back in jail or on the streets still in need.
But in spite of the money spent, California has had a hard time delivering visible results. A state audit last year found that the state spent $24 billion on more more than 30 homeless and housing programs between 2018 and 2023 to tackle homelessness, but lacked the data to fully understand what worked and what didn't.
