California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at dismantling and cleaning up homeless encampments throughout the state.
The 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 statement.
“The state has been hard at work to address this crisis on our streets,” he said, citing in a video on X the $1 billion the state has invested in encampment resolution grants. “There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.”
His order came a month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that cities could prohibit sleeping outside in public spaces.
AP Photo/José Luis Villegas, File
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/José Luis Villegas, File)
California’s roughly 171,000 unhoused people make up a third of the homeless population of the United States. New federal data suggests the number has only increased, up 6% to 181,000 last year, the Mercury News reported in January. Many of them live in tents and makeshift shelters along freeways, in retailer parking lots and in city parks, prompting concerns about sanitation and safety.
Newsom’s order includes “respecting the dignity and well-being of all Californians.”
Officials must provide advance notice, connect those being evicted to local services, and help them store their possessions for a minimum of 60 days. While he urges city and county governments to take similar measures, Newsom cannot order them to act, though he controls some county and city funding.
Advocates said the governor’s approach was missing a key component.
“Gavin Newsom is ordering officials to sweep the poorest people out of sight, to destroy their belongings, and to sever their community bonds and ties to resources,” the L.A. Tenants Union said in a statement on X. “He is NOT ordering that they be housed. This is a profoundly cruel and inhumane decision.”
Newsom also cited the state’s “record level” of investment, more than $24 billion, to address the housing crisis, though a subsequent audit indicated that it was not clear whether the money had helped.
With News Wire Services
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