By Marisa Kendall, CalMatters
Gov. Gavin Newsom today ordered state agencies to remove homeless camps throughout California, his first major show of force since the Supreme Court granted state and local authorities more power to clear encampments.
Newsom’s executive order mandates that state agencies and departments adopt policies to clear camps on state property. It also encourages local governments to do the same.
“This executive order directs state agencies to move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them — and provides guidance for cities and counties to do the same,” Newsom said in a news release. “The state has been hard at work to address this crisis on our streets. There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.”
The move comes almost a month after the U.S. Supreme Court upended six years of protections for residents of homeless encampments in California and other western states. Previously, cities were prohibited from punishing people for sleeping outside if they had nowhere else to go. As a result, local courts ordered several cities, including San Francisco, to halt or pause encampment sweeps.
Reversing that precedent in Grants Pass v. Johnson, the justices last month found it is not unconstitutional for a city to ban homeless encampments, even if there is no shelter available. The ruling, which Newsom cheered, gives city leaders broad authority to crack down on camps.
Per Newsom’s new order, state agencies are to model their encampment policies around one that Caltrans has used for several years to remove camps on highway on and off ramps, under overpasses and on other land maintained by the transit agency. State agencies should warn residents at least 48 hours before clearing a camp. They also are required to store residents’ belongings for at least 60 days, and to request services for displaced residents from local organizations. If an encampment poses an “imminent threat” to life, health, safety or infrastructure, the agency can remove a camp immediately.
Caltrans has cleared 11,188 encampments since July 2021, according to the governor’s office. Newsom has personally attended some of those cleanups, wearing a baseball hat and gloves to help pick up trash left behind.
But Caltrans has faced backlash for the way it handles encampment cleanups. In 2020, the agency agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle a lawsuit that accused it of destroying property belonging to homeless Alameda County residents.
Newsom took a softer tone with local governments, urging them to voluntarily adopt policies similar to the one used by Caltrans. He also promised the state, via the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, will provide guidance and technical assistance to help local leaders set up programs.
It’s unclear how the order will be enforced, and whether there will be any penalties for cities and counties that don’t ramp up efforts to clear homeless camps. Newsom could withhold funding from local governments that he feels are not meeting his expectations, as he’s done in the past. In 2022, he briefly rescinded $1 billion from cities and counties after accusing them of failing to take big enough steps to reduce homelessness.
CalMatters has requested additional details from the governor’s office regarding the scope of his executive order and how it will be enforced, and will update this story with more information.
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Homelessness in the U.S. is an impossibly complex problem. There really is no single solution. This article provides only a basic outline of the initiative, and I’m not smart enough to see how this helps things, but I think it’s good that we keep trying. About the only thing I’ve seen that anyone has tried with some positive effect is simply giving people money.
Universal Basic Income study results:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/basic-income-gives-money-without-strings-heres-how-people-spend-it/
Giving people money is a really bad idea it’s like feeding the pigeons or ducks
Says someone who isn’t following the data.
Pilot programs for Universal Basic Income have been showing good outcomes. It’s something to consider as automation takes over more and more jobs.
Awful idea
Says someone not following along.
Sounds like he is laying the groundwork to be VP.
Funny how folks freak out about homelessness and the camps, but when anyone tries to do something about it, it’s still a point of criticism. Either some ulterior motive or they just don’t want their tax dollars going to help clean the city up.
Never a “hey, good job, thanks for finally doing something about it.”
Well, I’d say you’re talking about a two-faced snake politican who you can’t trust. That’s the other way to look at it if you’ve followed along for the last decade.
Okay, Thanks for finally cleaning up the mess YOU created Newsome! Atta kid.
Are you trying to say that Gavin Newsom created homelessness?
Ha exactly. He can only control so much based on the laws.
Kirk- What a typical lib troll response. Obviously homelessness existed before Newsome. You DO have eyes and ears I assume so you already know what I’m talking about. Not worth any further response.
Cry, Trumpie, cry.
He wants to be President but this turn isn’t his. Doubtful they’d put him as VP as another Californian on the ticket.
Who on this plant would think he would accept VP?
Do a little research, he won’t be VP, him and Kamala are from the same state…
Wow, that’s a 180 degree change in philosophy from Newsom. What a politican!
Says the master of contradictory statements.
Uh yeah….. he is a politician. Just like all the others. It’s hilarious that you think that’s an insult.
Sac- YES. ABSOULTLY it is an insult to be called a politician! They are destroying our country. I DO get how YOU would love them, but rational people do not.
Never said I love them. Read words better, OG.
Not sure what else you’d call a former president than a “politician.” Don’t let his dumbing down everything, overall foulness, lying, assaulting and otherwise criminal activities fool you. He’s a politician in every sense of the word. It’s about him, not you.
I feel bad for those who actually believe Trump cares about them and their jobs.
Sac- It’s implied based on your 1000’s of comments.
Trump is totally a politician! Agreed! Read words better bro…
“ABSOULTLY it is an insult to be called a politician”
Basic, weren’t you complaining for the past year about the homeless encampments and how it’s affected state street? So now that something’s being done you’re mad? Some people are never satisfied.
SBURFER – for people like that, whose entire existence is based on complaining about everything, it’s not about being happy.
It’s a psychological problem, like hoarding, but where you only collect bad vibes.
No, I’m just calling out two-faced Newsom. If he’s your guy, that’s cool. I think he just plays the field, and has zero balls.
He’s not “my guy” but it’s interesting that you complain about a problem, now there is some action to solve said problem, but you don’t like it because of the guy who put the resolution into action. Kinda silly, isn’t it?
Oh no, Newsom wasn’t going to put jack into action. It was the Supreme Court that made this happen, as a response to an Oregon lawsuit, pure and simple. So no, Newsom just gets zero credit, nor do his supporters. He would’ve never lifted a finger…
What silly is believeing Gavin is on your side.
You’re really fixated on sides for some reason. The fact is, there is action being taken but you’re so upset by the Governor that you can’t see the forest for the trees. That must be hard.
Plus, we all know the Supreme Court gave states a ridiculous amount of power over the feds so if Newsom wanted to, he could say heck with it CA isn’t going to do a thing about encampments. But he’s not.
Bus ticket to Bakersfield.
Yes, about time! Should we help you pack?
Why would you say that? I have relatives in Bakersfield. For the record, Bakersfield also has homeless people- roughly 0.3% of the population in Kern County is homeless, compared to 0.48% of Santa Barbara County.
Thanks, point is nobody ‘wants’ to live in Bakersfield, they just can afford it. Even the homeless get it.
GOLETAMOVEDHEREIN69SONOTAREALLOCAL – That’s kind of a broad statement. I bet there’s plenty of people who want to live there for whatever their reasons may be. Kind of snobby to say, really.
Further though, why would you think it’s a solution to just move the homeless somewhere else? How much money are you willing to spend to track incoming homeless and provide them with tickets and food, etc? I mean surely, you don’t plan to just round up human beings like cattle, seize their belongings, take them away from any local resources or friends they may have, physically force them on a bus and dump them in another city with nothing but the clothes on their back. I mean, that would be like…. I dunno….. unconstitutional? Maybe even a little Third Reich-y?
And GOLETA – the people who insist on constantly bragging (you know, like that’s all they talk about and even name themselves “locals”) about being a “local” usually aren’t natives.
Goletafakelocal – you ever work in a movie theater? You’re hands down one of the top projectors I’ve seen here in a while.
Anybody who doesn’t embrace the homeless at our intersections is a psychopath. They do not need their homes bulldozed by the patriarchy that runs our state government – fascists!
You shouldn’t over-imbibe before commenting.
Nice try at satire but let’s leave the real jokes to professional comedians.
” Night in THE BOX” for all you EDHATERS….
Just to make your head swirl.
Kimberly G is Newsom’s ex wife and Don Jr’s current squeeze.
Figure it out.