Newsom Calls on California Cities to End Homeless Encampments: ‘No More Excuses’
The California governor says "there's nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets" The post Newsom Calls on California Cities to End Homeless Encampments: ‘No More Excuses’ appeared first on TheWrap.
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday called on cities statewide to “quickly address” homeless encampments, saying the time has come to crack down on camping on sidewalks and in other public spaces.
“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement.
He continued: “Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity — the courts delivered. Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.”
The governor’s statement was included alongside a model ordinance for cities and counties to immediately combat the homelessness crisis in California. Newsom’s office said the ordinance is a “starting point” for jurisdictions to “create their own policies”; it includes the following recommendations:
— “A prohibition on persistent camping in one location”
— “A prohibition on encampments that block free passage on sidewalks”
— A requirement that “local officials provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter prior to clearing an encampment”
California will also be deploying $3.3 billion in additional funds, the governor’s office said, to help cities address the issue with the “compassion and care” that is necessary. The Newsom administration, since he was elected governor in 2018, has put more than $27 billion towards addressing the state’s homelessness issue, the governor’s office said on Monday.
Monday’s announcement comes as California — the nation’s most populated state — is home to the nation’s largest homeless population. In 2024, California hit a record high with 187,000 homeless people, according to The New York Times, with about two-thirds of those people living in tents, cars, or outdoors.
The post Newsom Calls on California Cities to End Homeless Encampments: ‘No More Excuses’ appeared first on TheWrap.
