California Gov. Gavin Newsom Appears to Go All-In on Ending Homeless Encampments
Early in his career, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that he had a plan to end homelessness in ten years.
Late last year, that promise marked its 20th anniversary.
So, imagine my surprise when I saw a video on X showing Newsom seemingly single-handedly cleaning up an homeless encampment.
California Governor Gavin Newsom was seen apparently avoiding the limelight as he was spotted clearing out a homeless encampment in Los Angeles.The Democrat, 56, stepped out on Thursday to personally tackle his state’s homeless epidemic, days after he ordered California agencies to step up their efforts to combat the issue.Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, Newsom was seen in a clip shared by a FOX Los Angeles reporter throwing away junk around an encampment in Mission Hills.
Avoiding the limelight? I think not, since he had a camera crew with him. But clearly something is afoot as Newsom is appearing to go “all in” on tackling homelessness in this state.
He is now threatening to take away state funding from counties that don’t show improvement on homelessness.
“If we don’t see demonstrable results, I’ll start to redirect money,” Newsom said.“This is a sincerely held belief that we need local government to step up. This is a crisis. Act like it.”Unbridled frustration from the Democratic governor over the lack of progress on his top issue — homelessness — isn’t new, nor is warning about stripping money from reluctant counties. As he nears the halfway point of his second and final term in office, Newsom is using his soapbox as governor to increase public pressure and lay blame on local leaders for California’s most glaring humanitarian crisis.
After the Supreme Court decision giving local governments the authority to remove encampments and ticket people for camping in public, Newsom got serious and issued the executive order and then delivered the ultimatum.
It appears that Los Angeles County has become a big target of Newsom’s frustration over the lack of progress. To be fair to the governor, this is who is in charge there:
Some local officials, including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, have criticized the move, saying that citing or arresting people in encampments is not a solution if doing so unfairly criminalizes them.“My position has and continues to be that I do not believe the criminalization of homelessness is the right path,” said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.“I find it almost ludicrous to think that we’re going to issue $250 tickets to individuals who are unhoused who are then going to get another ticket and another ticket and then have a warrant out for their arrest…and for what?”
Newsom could have had a serious partner in this approach with Bass’ opponent in the mayoral contest: Real estate mogul Rick Caruso. But Los Angelenos chose poorly.
Newsom has his work cut out for him, as the social justice advocates are coming out of the woodwork. Take, for example, Gina Rodarte Quiroz, a board member of the Committee for Social Justice and Continuum of Care, who wants to feds to step in:
We call on the U.S. Department of Justice to review our concerns and consider the human rights implications of these policies. We urge you to advocate for more compassionate and effective approaches to ending homelessness in California.Emphasizing the long-term economic benefits of permanent housing solutions over temporary encampment sweeps is crucial. Building affordable homes or repurposing vacant buildings is key to ending homelessness.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed is a bit more on board with Newsom. She directed city officials to offer bus tickets out of town. So my Legal Insurrection friends are prepared, here’s where they are going:
When it comes to states where people are going — after California is Oregon.Nevada and Texas are tied for third.Within California, the top three destinations are Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Humboldt counties.
My suspicion is that Newsom is making this move to beef up his presidential campaign portfolio, which is slender. I think his actions clearly show what the Democrats really think about Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances in November.
Newsom likely anticipates that in 2028 the field will be wide open and crowded, and that success in this venture might help him stand out. We shall see.
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