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California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to dismantle homeless encampments statewide, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows cities to enforce “anti-camping” ordinances without violating constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment.
The order aims to address the state’s significant homeless crisis, which affects over 180,000 individuals, while advocating for humane policies.
Newsom’s initiative has drawn criticism from homeless advocates who argue it criminalizes poverty and could lead to fines and arrests without providing adequate shelter options.
“This executive order directs state agencies to move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them — and provides guidance for cities and counties to do the same,” Newson stated. “There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.”
“Newsom could have issued this order before the (Supreme Court) decision. The only difference now is that states and localities are free to confine and arrest people even when there is no shelter available,” University of California Los Angeles assistant professor of sociology Chris Herring said.
“So before the Supreme Court ruling cities were in the position where they would have to provide shelter offers before removing encampments. Now … they will be able to carry out these encampment sweeps with the very real threat of issuing people incredibly expensive fines of which people cannot pay and often results in a warrant or an arrest or can result in incarceration.”
Herring said the timing of the order wasn’t surprising as Newsom seeks to “politically clear his name of the homeless crisis, especially as he’s in the national spotlight right now amid the presidential election.”
“Governor Newsom, where do you expect people to go? This is a shameful moment in California history,” AIDS Healthcare Foundation president Michael Weinstein said.
Despite some successes in reducing homelessness, such as in Los Angeles, critics have emphasized that simply relocating individuals does not solve the underlying issues.
Advocates argue that more comprehensive housing solutions and services are essential for long-term improvement.
“Our city encampment teams and street outreach staff have been going out every day to bring people indoors, and to clean and clear encampments,” Mayor London Breed spokesperson Parisa Safarzadeh said. “This is why we are seeing a five year low in the City’s tent count on our streets.”
“They want to basically crack down on folks who have no other choice,” she said.
“For the first time in years, unsheltered homelessness has decreased in Los Angeles because of a comprehensive approach that leads with housing and services, not criminalization,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated.
“Strategies that just move people along from one neighborhood to the next or give citations instead of housing do not work.”
Newsom said the ruling “provides state and local officials the definitive authority to implement and enforce policies to clear unsafe encampments from our streets.”
“This decision removes the legal ambiguities that have tied the hands of local officials for years and limited their ability to deliver on common-sense measures to protect the safety and well-being of our communities,” Newsom added.
“Cities have an obligation to develop housing and shelter solutions in tandem with support services provided by County government,” LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. “This formula, which is largely based on partnerships, is how we can deliver permanent results. No single entity can achieve that.”