Newsom orders homeless camps cleared following Supreme Court ruling
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Gov. Gavin Newsom told state agencies to clear homeless camps. Photo: David Swanson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday directing state agencies to clear homeless camps, and urging cities to do the same.
Why it matters: Newsom cited a June ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that expanded cities' abilities to enforce anti-camping laws as the basis for a new direction for confronting homelessness.
- An estimated 180,000 people experienced homelessness in California last year, according to the annual point-in-time count.
What he's saying: Newsom's order said the SCOTUS ruling clarified that cities can clear encampments and overturned a lower-court ruling that restricted laws criminalizing behavior associated with being homeless — like sleeping in parks, even when no shelter is available.
- "There is no longer any barrier to local governments utilizing the substantial resources provided by the state… to address encampments with both urgency and humanity," the order reads.
How it works: State agencies now must adopt measures based on the California Department of Transportation's existing policy, which directs workers to remove unsafe encampments and to partner with cities and nonprofits to offer shelter and support.
- Newsom's order encourages, but cannot force, cities to follow that same model for clearing encampments.
Zoom in: After the high-court ruling last month, a spokesperson for San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the city will not change its approach to encampments but clarified that the city's law is legal.
- Gloria, who chairs the California Big City Mayors coalition, welcomed "the governor's renewed direction and sense of urgency to address homelessness with tangible and meaningful action," in a statement Thursday afternoon.
- San Francisco Mayor London Breed said after the ruling that there are "many people struggling on our streets with addiction and mental illness, and our outreach workers will offer access to treatment. … But those who refuse our help or those who already have shelter will not be allowed to camp on our streets."
- Breed added the city would be "very aggressive and assertive in moving encampments, which may even include criminal penalties."
Yes, but: Chula Vista and National City officials have discussed adopting new, stricter encampment policies based on the Supreme Court ruling.
- San Diego County officials are also drafting a camping ban, and two Republicans on the board have said the ruling will give them more leeway.
The bottom line: Newsom encouraged cities to pursue the $3.3 billion made available for behavioral health from the March passage of Proposition 1 as he urged cities to swiftly clear encampments and help the people living in them.
- "There are simply no more excuses," he wrote in a news release.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.