Newsom vows to withhold funding from cities that fail to clear homeless encampments.
Governor Gavin Newsom is putting pressure on local cities and counties to comply with an order to dismantle homeless encampments across the state. Failure to do so could result in funds and resources being withheld. On Thursday afternoon, Newsom was seen clearing an encampment under the 5 Freeway in Mission Hills alongside Caltrans crews in Los Angeles County.
The executive 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, however, there are less than 72,000 available shelter beds.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is urging local governments to take immediate action on clearing homeless encampments, warning that failure to do so could result in losing state funding next year. This comes as part of Newsom’s intensified effort to push local authorities to address the issue. Last month, he directed state agencies to begin clearing encampments on state-owned land and has strongly encouraged local governments to follow suit, despite lacking the legal authority to mandate such actions.