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Newsom Orders California Officials to Remove Homeless Encampments
The directive from Gov. Gavin Newsom is the nation’s most sweeping response to a Supreme Court decision last month that gave local leaders greater authority to remove homeless campers.
More than in any other state, homeless encampments have been a wrenching issue in California, where housing costs are among the nation’s highest, complicating the many other factors that contribute to homelessness. An estimated 180,000 people were homeless last year in California, and most of them were unsheltered. Unlike New York City, most jurisdictions in California do not guarantee a right to housing.
Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, called on state officials and local leaders to “humanely remove encampments from public spaces” and act “with urgency,” prioritizing those that most threaten health and safety.
Some of his own agencies are expected to take action immediately on state property. He cannot force local governments to sweep encampments, but can exert political pressure through the billions of dollars that the state controls for municipalities to address homelessness.
His executive order could divide Democratic local leaders in California. Some have already begun to clear encampments, while others have denounced the decision from the majority conservative Supreme Court as opening the door to inhumane measures to solve a complex crisis.
Despite extensive investment in homelessness programs, California still has a shortage of emergency housing. While the directive instructs state agencies to connect occupants of encampments with local service providers, it does not mandate that they relocate people to shelters. Nor does the order indicate under which conditions recalcitrant campers might be penalized.
Republicans have frequently pointed to homelessness in California as an example of the state’s purported decline under Mr. Newsom and other Democrats. They are expected to do the same with Vice President Kamala Harris, a former senator and prosecutor from California, in the coming weeks, as Democrats unite around her to replace President Biden on the ballot this fall.California Republicans on Thursday accused Mr. Newsom of “trying to take credit” for the efforts of conservatives who had sought the Supreme Court decision, and they charged that his executive order had come only after prolonged inaction.
“It’s about damn time!” said Brian W. Jones, the State Senate minority leader. Senator Jones, of San Diego County, has long championed bipartisan legislation to clear encampments, but complained that it has gone nowhere under the Democratic supermajority that runs the Legislature.
The Supreme Court decision on June 28 upheld an Oregon city’s ban on homeless residents sleeping outdoors. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit had found in earlier opinions that it was unconstitutional to punish people for sleeping in public spaces when they had no other legal place to spend the night.
