Last Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an order to state officials instructing them to dismantle homeless encampments, calling on officials across California to “do their part.”
“This executive order directs state agencies to move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them—and provides guidance for cities and counties to do the same. The state has been hard at work in addressing this crisis on our streets. There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.”
Newsom’s order comes shortly after the Supreme Court ruling opened the doorway for cities to clear homeless encampments and ban outdoor sleeping without offering shelter. Despite Newsom’s official instructions, the Supreme Court ruling leaves many of the decisions under the jurisdiction of local cities—which means that the governor cannot force cities to act.
Newsom stated, “California remains committed to respecting the dignity and fundamental human needs of all people, and the state will continue to work with compassion to provide individuals experiencing homelessness with the resources they need to better their lives.” However, after the Supreme Court ruling, state officials had opposing viewpoints regarding the impact of Newsom’s new order.
L.A. County Supervisors’ Chair Lindsey Horvath called the Grants Pass decision “unconscionable” and ineffective, opting to call for continued efforts to add more shelter and affordable housing for the homeless community. At a news conference hours after the ruling, she said the solution “is not arrest. It is not pushing people from community to community.”
“I want to be crystal clear,” she added. “The criminalization of homelessness and poverty is dangerous. It does not work, and it will not stand in Los Angeles County.”
Horvath and Supervisor Hilda Solis have proposed a policy that would not allow L.A. County jails to hold people arrested for violating anti-camping ordinances, especially when many local cities have very small jails and rely largely on county jails.
Yet, Horvath and Solis were not the only voices raising the alarm on Newsom’s new order. At the same news conference where Horvath voiced her opinion, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass called the decision “unfortunate,” believing it “will usher in a new wave of criminalization” elsewhere. Bass slammed the court’s ruling, saying it should “not be used as an excuse for cities across the country to attempt to arrest their way out of this problem or hide the homelessness crisis in neighboring cities or in jail.”
“This is a rehash of the 1990s when we couldn’t figure out how to deal with a social problem, like addiction and gang violence, [and] we just decided we were going to lock everybody up,” Bass said at the news conference.
Despite the heavy opposition to Newsom’s new directive, advocates argue that the new order will encourage cities to “develop housing and shelter solutions in tandem with support services provided by County government. This formula, which is largely based on partnerships, is how we can deliver permanent results. No single entity can achieve that,” as Supervisor Kathryn Barger stated.
For Orange County homeless encampments, officials have stated they will do what is appropriate for their local communities while remaining compassionate to the homeless population.
