California’s Homeless Encampments to Be Cleared as Newsom Pressures Local Governments after Supreme Court Ruling
If Governor Gavin Newsom gets his way, the homeless encampments that have become as iconic as the Hollywood sign and the Golden Gate Bridge will soon be wiped away.
On Thursday, Newsom ordered agencies to remove the encampments that have sprung up in California’s major cities, including Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, in response to a Supreme Court ruling last month that allowed local governments to prohibit sleeping in public places. A two-day notice would be required before any action could be taken by the authorities.
A lower court’s decision had previously prevented governments from removing encampments, prior to the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass case verdict.
While Newsom may not have the authority to order local governments to dismantle homeless encampments, he does have the capacity to exert pressure through the medium of his checkbook, by either allocating or withholding funds.
Republicans frequently exploit California’s apparent housing crisis and the state’s high property prices as an excuse to criticize the blue state. Homelessness is a long-standing problem in California, but it has recently gained attention due to the proliferation of encampments.
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Some who are concerned about the plight of the homeless have stated that a law that makes it illegal to sleep outside would be a criminalization of homelessness. Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the Grants Pass decision, stating that it was “unconscionable and unconstitutional” to penalize an individual just because they were homeless.
In reaction to Newsom’s executive order, the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness released a statement stating: “Previous attempts to evict people living in encampments have failed to reduce the number of people forced to sleep outside in our state.” A worsening of homelessness is caused by the displacement, destabilization, and dispossession of persons who do not have actual offers of permanent shelter.
According to Newsom’s administration, the state has allocated over $24 billion toward housing and homeless initiatives, with over $1 billion going toward clearing out homeless encampments. He is now demanding their removal.
Source: USA Today
