Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging California's local governments to begin clearing homeless encampments, escalating the state's efforts to ban makeshift camps that line streets up and down the state. His administration has drafted a local law that counties and cities can directly adopt or modify. The Democratic governor has pushed to clear the state of homeless encampments. The issue has become one of the most intractable issues in California and one sure to dog Newsom if he runs for national office.
The Supreme Court's decision granting cities more power to ban sleeping outside will test a problematic shelter system in California. Public records obtained by CalMatters show that most municipalities haven't adhered to a recent state law aimed at reforming dangerous conditions in shelters. The state Legislature created a new system in 2021 requiring local governments to inspect facilities after complaints and file annual reports on conditions. CalMatters found that just five counties and four cities filed reports. That's according to records from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. The law's author is Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva. She says it's shocking there's so little reporting and she has requested a meeting with state housing officials.
