‘Let’s have a good discussion’: Reaction to Newsom’s threat to pull homeless funding in the Central Valley

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to redirect or withhold state funding from counties and cities that do not take his executive order of removing homeless encampments seriously.

Many Central Valley counties do not feel that this threat pertains to them as many have been working to resolve this issue for years.

Mariposa County removed their only encampment, the City of Fresno and the county are pending approval for both no-camping ordinances and Tulare County created supportive housing projects for their unhoused.

“I sometimes wonder if he just doesn’t understand how it works at the local level, like, I think it’s easy to sit in Sacramento and say the locals aren’t doing their job,” said Jason Britt, Tulare County Administrative Officer.

Britt wished Newsom recognized the counties and cities that have been able to get things done.

In May, Mariposa County removed their one and only encampment of 20 people.

Kristina Keheley, Mariposa County’s Interim Director of Health and Human Services said it took them many years to do this and they were only able to get it done with state funding.

“I just hope that the other counties, and we can advocate with them, that this is not an overnight solution, the funding is imperative or it’s not going to happen,” Keheley said.

On Thursday, Newsom took to the streets of Los Angeles to clean up encampments. There, he explained how he’s holding local governments accountable.

“Ask the folks in San Diego County, I just took all their tiny home money. I sent it to San Jose, they were sitting on it for a year.”

Instead of issuing threats, Madera County Administrative Officer, Jay Varney wishes Newsom sat down with those who aren’t performing how he wants.

“Let’s have a good discussion because it feels to me like he kind of let his frustration overload come across as angry, but that didn’t solve anything, that just made those of us who feel like we’re doing the best we can do as fast as we can do it, feel like, oh, well, there’s nothing we can do to make the governor’s office happy here.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.