California governor clears homeless encampments despite advocates' dismay

California Gov. Gavin Newsom personally took to the streets of Los Angeles on Thursday to clean up homeless encampments in a city infamous for its large homeless population.

The governor recently ordered state agencies to "urgently" address homeless encampments throughout the state. His order came in the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision that gave cities and state the power to ban homeless encampments.

The ruling was brought about after an Oregon city began issuing fines for people sleeping outside.

In a video posted by Newsom's press office, the governor could be seen picking up trash in an underpass and placing it into a trash bag.

“I don’t think there’s anything more urgent and more frustrating than addressing the issue of encampments in the state of California,’’ Newsom said in a July video. “It’s time to move with urgency at the local level to clean up these sites, to focus on public health and public safety.’’

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Newsom's office said that in the last three years, the California Department of Transportation has resolved over 11,000 encampments.

According to Los Angeles County officials, there were 48,548 people considered "unsheltered" in the area in 2022.

The National Association to End Homelessness estimates that there were over 181,000 people without a home in California in 2023, representing 47 people for every 10,000 residents.

Per capita, California ranks fourth in homelessness, behind New York, Vermont and Oregon, according to the organization's data.

Why some advocates oppose Newsom's actions

The National Association to End Homelessness said it was dismayed by Newsom's order to clean up encampments. It called on the state to find other solutions to the issue of homelessness.

“The evidence is actually very clear: Forced encampment evictions are ineffective, expensive, and non-strategic,” said Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “The blanket order to clear encampments without addressing the immediate and long-term needs of their residents will displace thousands and increase their risk of harm. It will also hinder the progress of California’s deeply under-resourced providers who are working day and night to rehouse the state’s unsheltered population. That is not a solution to California’s homelessness crisis.”

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While Newsom's order does not call for arresting or fining those sleeping outside, it does allow officials to go in and clean out homeless camps after providing notification.

In the Supreme Court decision giving authority to local governments to enforce homeless bans, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said criminalizing homelessness is "unconscionable."

"Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime. For some people, sleeping outside is their only option," she wrote in her dissenting opinion. "For people with no access to shelter, that punishes them for being homeless."

But the 6-3 decision gives cities and states wide power to ban outdoor homelessness.

"The enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public property does not constitute 'cruel and unusual punishment' prohibited by the Eighth Amendment," the Supreme Court said in its decision.