The visibility and scale of homelessness in California have uncovered Newsom and different Democratic leaders to relentless criticism. Conservative media shops frequently broadcast pictures of individuals residing on the streets whereas portraying San Francisco and Los Angeles as failed cities.
Newsom has budgeted billions of {dollars} to assist native governments transfer individuals into everlasting housing. However the governor stated on Thursday that native plans to safe these funds fell woefully quick, estimating they might collectively scale back homelessness by a mere 2 % over 4 years. The governor knowledgeable mayors about his plans on Wednesday night time and stated he supposed to convene native officers later this month.
“At this tempo, it could take many years to considerably curb homelessness in California — this strategy is just unacceptable. Everybody has to do higher — cities, counties, and the state included,” he stated.
Massive-city mayors pushed again on Newsom’s determination, arguing it got here with little discover and undermined their efforts. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, whose metropolis has beforehand clashed with Newsom over homelessness funding, stated in an announcement that she was “perplexed.” San Francisco Mayor London Breed accused Newsom of making “extra hoops for native governments to leap by way of with none clear rationalization of what’s required.”
“The State has determined to abruptly withhold funds that we’ve been planning round and that may truly make a distinction in our communities — all with none warning or conversations or alternatives to deal with their considerations,” Breed stated. “Whereas we welcome accountability, now will not be the time to delay funds that may assist get individuals off the road.”
The governor has frequently lamented the state of homelessness in California, saying public officers are failing to behave with sufficient urgency. He has centered in current months on encampments, allocating funds to assist native governments transfer individuals out of camps and staging public appearances wherein he cleans up trash close to tents underneath freeways. His workplace issued a information launch in August touting the clearing of more than 1,250 sites on state land over a 12-month interval.
“These encampments in California are unacceptable,” Newsom stated throughout his finances presentation this 12 months.
That encampments push has at occasions fueled pressure with native governments. The Newsom administration and metropolis of Oakland locked right into a protracted standoff earlier this 12 months over a sprawling, multi-block encampment throughout which Newsom threatened to withhold $4.7 million in support. A choose initially blocked the governor’s effort to maneuver individuals out, arguing officers have been buying and selling blame with out finding different lodging for the camp’s residents.
Funding for behavioral well being has been one other facet of Newsom’s homelessness plan. The coverage centerpiece has been a newly-enacted civil courts program permitting the state to mandate therapy plans for individuals with extreme psychological well being or substance abuse points. Newsom signed this system into regulation earlier this 12 months.
The governor has additionally taken a extra aggressive strategy towards native governments on housing improvement, repeatedly intervening when the state concludes cities and counties aren’t planning so as to add sufficient properties to ease a statewide housing scarcity. His administration lately launched an unprecedented assessment of San Francisco’s housing approval course of.