California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a message to local governments Thursday: Clean up homeless encampments now or risk losing state funding next year.
Standing in front of cleared homeless encampments in Los Angeles, Newsom vowed to start taking back state funds from cities and counties that don’t do enough to move people from encampments to shelters. On Thursday, the governor worked with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to clear several encampments in the area.
“I want to see the results,” Newsom told reporters at a news conference. “I don’t want to read their story. I don’t want to see the data. I want to see it.
Thursday’s announcement is part of Newsom’s escalating campaign to push local governments to conduct more cleanups of homeless encampments. Newsom last month ordered state agencies to begin clearing encampments on state land. He has also pressured local governments to do so, although he cannot legally force them to act.
The executive order comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that said the government could not force people to leave camps if there were no available shelter beds. Newsom’s administration wrote a letter supporting the cities’ argument that previous rulings, including one that barred San Francisco from clearing encampments, had prevented the state from addressing critical issues.
California is home to about a third of the nation’s homeless population, an issue that has dogged Newsom since he took office. Thousands of tents and temporary shelters are scattered across the state on highways, parking lots and parks.
Under Newsom, the state has spent about $24 billion to clean streets and house people. That includes at least $3.2 billion in grants to local governments to build shelters, clear encampments and provide services to homeless people as they see fit, Newsom said.
He added that these were unprecedented investments by the government, but that his government would begin redirecting the funds in January.
“This has nothing to do with criminalization,” Newsom said. “It is a crime to ignore those who struggle, suffer and die as we watch.”
This isn’t the first time Newsom has vowed to cut funding because of what he sees as lackluster local government efforts to address homelessness. In 2022, he threatened to withhold $1 billion in homelessness spending from cities and counties due to a lack of progress. Last month, his office withdrew a $10 million grant sent to San Diego to build tiny homes because the county didn’t move quickly enough.
San Francisco’s mayor has taken more aggressive action in clearing encampments.
But others, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County officials, objected, saying the governor’s approach would not work. Newsom on Thursday praised Bass for his work successfully reducing the number of people sleeping outdoors in Los Angeles, adding that his frustration was directed primarily at counties.
The California Association of Counties, which represents California’s 58 counties, said it would not comment on the governor’s announcement Thursday. Instead, a spokesperson noted that counties “will continue to work with the governor and share his sense of urgency” in response to Newsom’s order last month.
