Governor Gavin Newsom is putting pressure on local cities and counties to follow through with an order to dismantle homeless encampments across the state.
On Thursday afternoon, Newsom was seen clearing an encampment under the 5 Freeway in Mission Hills alongside Caltrans crews.
The executive order, signed on July 25, followed a recent Supreme Court decision giving local governments the authority to remove encampments and ticket people for camping in public.
The order urged officials to “address unsanitary and dangerous encampments within their communities and provide people experiencing homelessness in the encampments with the care and supportive services they need.”
The issue spans 88 cities in Los Angeles County, which has a combined homeless population of over 75,000 people.
The state of California has an estimated 180,000 unhoused people which is roughly one-third of the nation’s total homeless population.
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Governor Gavin Newsom helps clear an encampment under the 5 Freeway in Mission Hills in Los Angeles County on August 8, 2024. (California Governor’s Office) -
Governor Gavin Newsom helps clear an encampment under the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles County on August 8, 2024. (California Governor’s Office) -
Tents line an overpass on North Hill Street above Cesar Chavez Avenue near U.S. 101 in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photos/Christopher Weber) -
Governor Gavin Newsom. alongside Caltrans crews, helps clear an encampment under the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles County on August 8, 2024. (KTLA) -
Homeless encampment seen in California. -
A homeless encampment lines a street in Skid Row on Dec.14, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. ( Mario Tama/Getty Images) -
A large homeless encampment taking over sidewalks in Hollywood. (KTLA) -
A large homeless encampment taking over sidewalks in Hollywood. (KTLA) -
Pathway Home crew members working to remove large amounts of debris from homeless encampments in Los Angeles County. (Pathway Home) -
Pathway Home crew members working to remove large amounts of debris from homeless encampments in Los Angeles County. (Pathway Home) -
Pathway Home crew members working to remove large amounts of debris from homeless encampments in Los Angeles County. (Pathway Home) -
People suffering from homelessness set large tents next to the Emmanuel Baptist Rescue Mission on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. A storm of historic proportions dumped a record amount of rain over parts of Los Angeles on Monday, sending mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes. In contrast, people living in homeless encampments in many parts of the city scrambled for safety. Shelters were adding beds for the city’s homeless population of nearly 75,000 people. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) -
Governor Gavin Newsom. alongside Caltrans crews, helps clear an encampment under the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles County on August 8, 2024. (KTLA) -
Debris from homeless encampments, like this one shown on Aug. 7, 2024, is making bike lanes in Hollywood hard to use, residents say. (KTLA) -
People sleep outside their tents set on the sidewalk early morning Wednesday, June 26, 2024 in the West Lake area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) -
Governor Gavin Newsom helps clear an encampment near the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles County on August 8, 2024. (California Governor’s Office) -
A homeless encampment in Hollywood on March 6, 2024. (KTLA) -
A homeless encampement outside Sunset Sound Recording Studio in Hollywood. (Sunset Sound Recording Studio) -
Businesses in Hollywood along Sunset Boulevard paid to install planters on the sidewalks to deter homeless encampments. These images were shot on May 12, 2024. (KTLA) -
A homeless encampment in Hollywood on March 6, 2024. (KTLA)
Newsom called on California officials to “act with urgency to address dangerous encampments.” In a post on X, he said, “No more excuses. We’ve provided the time. We’ve provided the funds. Now it’s time for locals to do their job.”
Agencies are urged to prioritize clearing encampments after providing advance notice. While Newsom can’t force local authorities to act, his administration can apply pressure by withholding money and resources from counties and cities that fail to cooperate.
Some local officials, including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, have criticized the move, saying that citing or arresting people in encampments is not a solution if doing so unfairly criminalizes them.
“My position has and continues to be that I do not believe the criminalization of homelessness is the right path,” said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “I find it almost ludicrous to think that we’re going to issue $250 tickets to individuals who are unhoused who are then going to get another ticket and another ticket and then have a warrant out for their arrest…and for what?”
Under Newsom, the state has invested over $40 billion to boost affordable housing and over $27 billion to address homelessness.
“This is not about criminalization,” Newsom said on Thursday. “What’s criminal is neglecting people who are struggling, suffering and dying on our watch. We need local government to step up. This is a crisis. The state’s unprecedented billions of dollars of support? I’m not interested in providing that support and not seeing the results. I’m a taxpayer, not just the governor. It’s not complicated. We’ll send that money to counties that are producing results.”
The full text of Newsom’s executive order can be read here.