Sacramento – Gov. Gavin Newsom once again urged California cities and counties to ban homeless camps on Monday, adding to his campaign to follow the state’s leadership and evacuate tents from sidewalks and other public property.
“There is no sympathy to get people dead on the streets,” Newsom said in a statement. “Local leaders demanded the resources – we provided the largest national investment in history. They demanded the law clear – courts delivered to the courts. Now, we give them a role model that can be immediately invested, urgent and human, address camps and connect people to shelters, housing and care. The time to not take inaction is over. No more interest.”
The Democratic governor issued a model ordinance requiring local governments to adopt his office to describe it as a starting point before jurisdictions develop their own policies. Newsom's plan requires locals to ban on continuous camping at one location and block sidewalks. It also requires local officials to try to provide shelter before demolishing the temporary residence.
Newsom will announce in conjunction with Monday's announcement, which received $3.3 billion in 2024's voter-approved Proposition 1, aims to expand the mentally ill and homeless populations of behavioral health housing and treatment options. Funding does not depend on the city where camps are prohibited.
The funding has increased the $27 billion the state has already provided to local governments to address homelessness, a challenging political issue in California.
Advocates of the homeless have repeatedly argued that the state does not have enough supportive housing and shelter beds to transport people removed from tents and sidewalks into better conditions. The governor often expresses his frustration with his lack of progress at the local level, seeing homeless people as humanitarian crises and health and safety issues.
Last year, Newsom issued an executive order requiring state agencies to revoke homeless camps on state property and similarly urged local governments to do so.
