California Gov. Gavin Newsom cautioned city and county officials statewide Aug. 8 that if efforts are not undertaken to remove homeless camps, he will redirect money to other local governments that are showing results.
“We’ve been providing the support, local government embraces those efforts ... we’re going to double down,” Newsom said at a news conference. “If local government is not interested, we’re fine, we’ll redirect the money to parts of the state, cities and counties that are.”
Changes in funding allocations could be seen in next January’s budget proposal, he said.
“If we don’t see demonstrable results, I’ll start to redirect money,” Newsom said. “I’m not interested in status quo ante anymore.”
The order directed state agencies to immediately begin clearing encampments that pose an “imminent threat to life, health, safety or infrastructure” on state properties and requested local governments do the same in their respective jurisdictions.
Newsom said some cities and counties have resisted clearing camps in the past, saying they needed conservatorship reform, CARE courts, mental health housing, and workforce support, among other requests.
However, with those demands satisfied, more than a billion dollars in housing and rental subsidies coming in July 2025, a $6.38 billion Proposition 1 bond, and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that gives governments the authority to enforce illegal camping laws, all roadblocks to clearing camps have been removed, according to the governor.
The governor called homelessness the most pressing issue facing California.
“You’ve got the money, you’ve got the flexibility, you got the green light, support from the state, and the public is demanding it,” Newsom said. “This is the biggest scar on the reputation of the state of California.”
The governor said his warning is primarily directed to counties, including Los Angeles.
“Counties need to do more. We’re here with our hands out, open hand, not a closed fist.” Newsom said. “That said, if we don’t see results, we’re going to change our approach completely.”
One supervisor in Los Angeles County applauded the governor’s sense of urgency after his executive order was released.
However, some Los Angeles County officials are pushing back against the recommendations made in the governor’s order.
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 that clearing encampments, which could mean arrests if some refuse to 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.”
Newsom rejected the comments as “excuses” he’s heard over the last five decades.
“This is not about criminalization,” Newsom said. “No one wants to see criminalization. ... That’s the binary that the people who don’t want to do the job are going to try to frame, and I reject that.”
He said the more than 181,000 homeless individuals statewide are living in dire conditions—with no restrooms, without basic security, and in danger of losing their lives.
“What’s criminal is neglecting people who are struggling and suffering and dying on our watch,” Newsom said. “There is no compassion in allowing these conditions to persist.”
He dismissed the notion that his threat to remove funding was a political maneuver.
Meanwhile, some other counties have expressed a willingness to follow the governor’s recommendations and offered support for his efforts.
“People dying on our streets do not have another year and a half to wait for bureaucratic delays, and as local officials we cannot continue enabling their deaths,” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said in the governor’s press release. “The cost of waiting is too high for residents, local businesses, first responders, families, and the gravely disabled who face the ultimate price: their lives.”
Ventura County Supervisor Matt Lavere said he appreciates the governor’s commitment in addressing the homelessness crisis.
“Specifically, I appreciate his recognition that more needs to be done to clean up encampments while also prioritizing the housing and services needed to support the cleanup efforts,” he said. “Working together, the state and local jurisdictions can make a real difference by both cleaning up the encampments in our communities and creating pathways to housing for those living on our streets.”
