Newsom asks California cities to ban homeless encampments

Newsom urges cities to ban homeless encampments

Newsom is saying enough is enough to California's growing homeless crisis by introducing an ordinance that would ban encampments.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday proposed a model ordinance aimed at eliminating homeless encampments in California cities.

What we know:

The proposed model ordinance does not specify criminal penalties but effectively criminalizes encampments on public property, according to a report in the New York Times.

Cities would have the discretion to determine the severity of penalties, including arrests or citations for violations.

Counties, cities and towns can directly adopt or modify the ordinance.

"The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses," Newsom said.

State Ordinance introduced

The state guidance emphasizes that individuals should not face criminal punishment for sleeping outside when they have no alternative.

According to the report, the ordinance would include the following recommendations:

A prohibition on persistent camping in one location.
A prohibition on encampments that block free passage on sidewalks.
A requirement that local officials provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter prior to clearing an encampment.

Newsom's office said it would also be distributing more than $3 billion to help cities address the issue with "compassion and care."

Homelessness in LA

What they're saying:

Those living in tents along a walkway that used to be a parking lot underneath the 405 Freeway from Victory to Burbank Blvd. say they've been there for 10 years and aren't worried about Newsom's plan. They said they've been moved before and came back, and plan to do it again if needed.

Homeless outreach teams say they visit the site every week.

The property is owned by the Army Core of Engineers and was leased to the City's Park Services to use as a parking area for vehicles in the Sepulveda Basin. The jurisdiction of the property is difficult to pin down, although Council District 4 has taken the lead in trying to help people by installing porta pottties.

Councilmember Nithya Raman, who represents CD4, issued a statement regarding the encampments along the 405 Freeway, "Even though our district experienced a 40% drop in homelessness last year, this location has remained a challenge due to its large scale. For over a year, our office has been prioritizing this location with regular outreach and sanitation cleanups, and advocating for additional resources as we do not have enough shelter beds available in the district to address the number of individuals at this site. The Mayor’s Office has committed to working with us to provide housing resources and we look forward to bringing people indoors safely and securing the site sustainably.

Councilmember Traci Park, whose Westside district has been dealing with long-time encampments sees the governor's directive as a positive. She cited the stronger-handed approach recently seen in San Jose, where law enforcement has moved in to clear parks.

"It's not criminalizing homeless" Park said, describing it as using the available tools, humanely, to make spaces safe and accessible for all Angelenos.

Following his announcement, LA Mayor Karen Bass released the following statement, "In partnership with the Governor’s office, we drove homelessness down in Los Angeles first time in years in 2023 and preliminary data suggests another decrease in 2024. We will continue working together to keep moving tents and people off of streets and into housing as we improve and refine our approach. Thank you to Governor Newsom for his continued collaboration and vital support in this effort."

Her office said homelessness in LA decreased for the first time in years according to the 2024 Point in Time Count and permanent housing move-ins have doubled since before Bass took office.

Opposition to Newsom's plan

The other side:

Meanwhile, homeless advocates have expressed strong opposition to these initiatives, arguing that they could exacerbate the challenges faced by unhoused individuals.

Shaunn Cartwright, a homeless advocate, warned that such measures could lead to increased homelessness and higher mortality rates.

The backstory:

The announcement comes along with the release of $3.3 billion in voter-approved Proposition 1 funding, which will be made available later today to communities statewide to expand behavioral health housing and treatment options for the most seriously ill and homeless in California, Newsom said.

"There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets. Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity — the courts delivered. Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care," Newsom said.

Misuse of funds

Last month, the Department of Justice launched a task force aimed at investigating fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption in funds allocated to combat homelessness in Los Angeles.

In the past two fiscal years, the city has allocated a significant amount of funding to address the homelessness crisis. In FY 2023-24, the city allocated a combined total of $1.28 billion to homelessness.

In a November 2024 report, however, the City Controller found that the city had not spent at least $513 million in funding. The report cited an inefficient city approach, a lack of staff and aging technology as contributing to the issue.

The Source: Information for this story is from a press release by the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The New York Times and KTVU contributed.

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