Gov. Gavin Newsom urges California cities and counties to ban homeless
encampments
[May 13, 2025]
By JANIE HAR
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — 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.”
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.
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.
[to top of second column]
|
Jay Joshua cleans up around a homeless encampment where he currently
lives, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian
Dovarganes)
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.
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.
___
Associated Press staffers Christopher Weber, Michael R. Blood and
Damian Dovarganes in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
