California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday called on all local governments to “resolve encampments” and offered a model “they can put to work immediately.”
The Governor’s Office said the plan is backed by billions in state funding and the Supreme Court’s decision last year that allows governments to penalize people for sleeping on sidewalks and other public areas.
“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,” Newsom said in the statement issued Monday.
The Governor’s Office said the state has provided local leaders with the largest state investment in history and legal clarity on the issue. “Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care,” Newsom said.
The state’s Model Ordinance contains several key provisions, which the Governor’s Office says can be modified based on local need:
- A prohibition on persistent camping in one location
- A prohibition on encampments that block free passage on sidewalks
- A requirement that local officials provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter prior to clearing an encampment
The entire Model Ordinance can be viewed on the state’s website.
The Governor’s Office says the ordinance helps local communities take a balanced approach to prevent encampments with compassion and care. “The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses,” Newsom said.
Recent estimates place California’s homeless population at approximately 187,000 individuals, 75,000 in Los Angeles County.
Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, made homelessness a priority upon taking office in 2019, tackling a problem that’s largely been the purview of mayors and local government. With tents lining streets and disrupting businesses in cities and towns statewide, homelessness 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’s often suggested local leaders aren’t acting urgently enough to address a problem that’s seeped into every corner of the state and is increasingly frustrating voters.
The governor has also sought laws making it easier to force people with behavioral health issues into treatment. And he has threatened to withhold state money from cities and counties that do not step up to address homelessness.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who declared a state of emergency on homelessness on her first day in office in 2022, announced that her Inside Safe program has successfully moved 905 individuals into permanent housing. On Monday, Bass expressed her appreciation for Newsom’s efforts.
“In partnership with the Governor’s office, we reduced homelessness in Los Angeles for the first time in years in 2023, and preliminary data suggests another decrease in 2024,” Bass stated. “We will continue working together to move tents and people off the streets and into housing as we refine our approach. Thank you to Governor Newsom for his continued collaboration and vital support in this effort.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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