A handful of business organizations in the state have publicly thrown their support behind California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent executive order directing state employees to clear homeless camps and encouraging municipalities to do the same.
The business leaders and representatives from trade organizations said they are grateful for the recommendation, issued July 25.
The president and CEO of the California Restaurant Association—which represents more than 22,000 members—additionally said the change was long overdue.
“Restaurants have been on the front lines as individuals that need help are increasingly engaging in unsafe behaviors harmful to our staff and guests and are left in inhumane circumstances on our streets,” said the association’s Jot Condie, in the press release. “The time has come for a bold and different approach.”
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 28 decision giving local governments permission to enforce illegal camping and homelessness laws, the governor has since prioritized cleaning encampments to improve public safety.
Over the past five years, California has spent more than $27 billion on homelessness and more than $40 billion to increase affordable housing in the state.
Another leader encouraged officials to take advantage of resources and services by offering them to individuals living in encampments and said doing so will provide businesses the help they needed.
“Now that there are ample resources and tools to humanely relocate homeless to shelter and those in special need to get services, it’s time to also consider needs of store front businesses and their employees who need clean and safe access,” Tracy Hernandez, CEO of the business advocacy group BizFed and the New California Coalition nonprofit, said in the governor’s press release.
Another supporter said clearing encampments could also benefit the state’s economy.
“The Governor’s Executive Order will enhance California’s ability to bolster jobs, strengthen public safety, safeguard our environment, and ensure a path to stability for those who need it most,” Fred Tayco, executive director of the San Diego County Lodging Association, said in the press release.
A business leader in the Bay Area noted the complexity of addressing the homeless problem and said that clearing encampments while providing services is compassionate.
“No one should experience homelessness and reducing encampments reduces the threats to both our unhoused and housed residents across Oakland,” Barbara Leslie, president and CEO of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, said in the press release. “Our small businesses, struggling to survive, need clean and safe streets to safely operate.”
Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, said moving homeless individuals off the street is a critical component of the plan.
“California cities must now rise to meet this moment, to grab this opportunity and provide the shelter and housing that can end our long homelessness nightmare and restore a sense of order and civility to our streets, sidewalks and other public spaces,” he said in the press release. “This is not about criminalizing the unhoused, it’s about meeting our responsibility to help our neighbors.”
With the largest homeless population in the state—more than 70,000 individuals out of 181,000 statewide—Los Angeles County is faced with unique challenges, and some business leaders are calling for swift action.
“We believe this is a critical step to address homelessness,” Maria S. Salinas, president and CEO of Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, said in the press release. We understand homelessness is a complex issue that requires humane solutions to ensure public health and safety, we appreciate the Governor’s leadership to make impactful change in local communities.”
However, officials in both the city and county of Los Angeles are pushing back against the governor’s recommendations.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion introduced July 30 to prioritize services while refraining from enforcing illegal camping laws.
“Our homelessness and housing crisis is regional, and will only be solved with a coordinated, unified response, and resources for housing and services,” supervisors said in the motion.
They argued clearing encampments, which could mean arrests if some won’t leave and if services are not taken, could prove counterproductive.
“Arresting people for sitting, sleeping, or lying on the sidewalk or in public spaces does not end their homelessness, and will only make their homelessness harder to resolve with a criminal record and fines they can’t afford to pay,” the motion read. “Moving people from one community to another does not resolve their homelessness.”
And after the high court’s 6–3 ruling, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the decision “disappointing.”
“This ruling must 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,” she said in a statement the day the court’s decision was announced. “Neither will work, neither will save lives and that route is more expensive for taxpayers than actually solving the problem.”
The mayor called for more housing, services, and support to solve the issue.
In agreement with the mayor, some have said making people leave encampments simply won’t work.
“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.”
While Newsom does not have the authority to force local governments to follow his recommendations in the executive order, he urged them to follow the state’s lead and begin clearing encampments.
“There are simply no more excuses,” Newsom said in the press release. “It’s time for everyone to do their part.”
The governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment before publication.
