By Tran Nguyen | Associated Press
SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a message to local governments Thursday: Clean up homeless encampments now or lose state funding next year.
Standing in front of an evacuated homeless encampment in Los Angeles, Newsom vowed to begin cutting public funding from cities and counties that aren’t doing enough to move people out of encampments and into shelters. The governor joined the California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, on Thursday to evacuate several encampments in the area.
“I want to see the results,” Newsom told reporters at a news conference. “I don’t want to read about it. I don’t want to see the data. I want to see it.”
Thursday’s announcement is part of Newsom’s push to push local governments to conduct more sweeps of homeless encampments. Last month, Newsom ordered state agencies to begin clearing encampments on state land. He has also pressured local governments to do the same, though he can’t legally force them to act.
The order came after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that said governments could not force people to leave encampments if there were no shelter beds available. The Newsom administration wrote to support the cities’ arguments that previous decisions, including one barring San Francisco from clearing encampments, have prevented the state from addressing a critical problem.
California is home to about a third of the nation’s homeless population, a problem that has dogged Newsom since he took office. Thousands of tents and makeshift shelters line highways and fill parking lots and public parks.
The state has spent about $24 billion under Newsom to clean up streets and house people. That includes at least $3.2 billion in grants to local governments to build shelters, clear encampments and connect homeless people to services they deem appropriate, Newsom said.
These are unprecedented investments by the state, he added, but his administration will begin redirecting that money in January.
“This is not about criminalization,” Newsom said. “What is criminal is neglecting the people who are struggling, suffering and dying on our watch.”
This isn’t the first time Newsom has pledged to cut funding because of what he sees as local governments’ lackluster efforts to address homelessness. In 2022, he threatened to withhold $1 billion in homelessness spending from cities and counties because of the lack of progress. Last month, his office pulled back a $10 million grant sent to San Diego to build tiny homes because the county didn’t act fast enough.
San Francisco’s mayor has taken more aggressive steps to clear the encampments.
But others, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County officials, have responded by saying the governor’s approach won’t work. On Thursday, Newsom praised Bass’ work in successfully reducing the number of people sleeping rough in Los Angeles, adding that his frustration is mostly directed at the counties.
The California State Association of Counties, which represents 58 California counties, said it would not comment on the governor’s announcement Thursday. A spokesperson instead referred to a statement in response to Newsom’s order last month that counties “will continue to work with the governor and share his sense of urgency.”
