Newsom calls on California cities to ban homeless encampments ‘without delay'
Gavin Newsom has called on California cities and counties to clear and effectively ban encampments 'without delay' as the governor intensifies a crackdown on homelessness in the state.
Newsom on Monday announced a new model ordinance to address 'persistent' camps, in hopes of reducing the most visible signs of a worsening crisis, as well as $3.3bn in voter-approved funding to increase housing and drug treatment programs.
'There's nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets. Local leaders asked for resources – we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity – the courts delivered,' Newsom said in a statement.
'Now, we're giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.'
California has the largest population of unsheltered people in the US with more than 180,000 people in the state experiencing homelessness, including 123,000 people living outside, according to a 2023 count. The state – and local governments across California – have begun enacting harsher anti-camping policies following a US supreme court's ruling last year that cities can criminalize unhoused people for sleeping outside – even if there are no available shelter spaces.
Newsom has escalated efforts to force local governments into action since the 2024 supreme court decision, warning counties that he could withhold state support if they did not do more sweeps. In February, he told cities and counties they could lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding if they do not make progress in eradicating encampments and reducing homelessness.
In a statement this week the governor's office pointed to its own approach that it said had cleared more than 16,000 encampments and is 'effective and scalable'. The model ordinance introduced by the office includes provisions it said can be modified to suit local needs, including a ban on persistent camping in one location, a ban on encampments blocking sidewalks and a requirement for local officials to provide notice and offer shelter before clearing an encampment.
The governor is seeking to help municipalities set 'rules around encampments and establish effective enforcement procedures that prioritize notice, shelter and services', according to the statement.
'Encampments pose a serious public safety risk, and expose the people in encampments to increased risk of sexual violence, criminal activity, property damage and break-ins, and unsanitary conditions,' the news release said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
An Afghan man accused of planning an Election Day attack in the US pleads guilty
An Afghan man in Oklahoma accused of planning an Election Day attack in the U.S. on behalf of the Islamic State group pleaded guilty Friday to terrorism-related charges in federal court. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, pleaded guilty to two offenses: conspiring and providing support to the Islamic State group, and attempting to receive firearms to commit a federal crime of terrorism. The Islamic State is designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization. Tawhedi faces up to 35 years in prison. 'The defendant admits he planned and obtained firearms to carry out a violent terror attack on Election Day in 2024, a plot that was detected and disrupted through the good work of the FBI and our partners,' FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. A phone message was left seeking comment from Craig Hoehns, an attorney for Tawhedi. Tawhedi was living in Oklahoma City last year when he acquired two AK-47-style rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition to target large crowds, according to court documents. Authorities said he had conspired with multiple people, including his brother-in-law, Abdullah Haji Zada, for several months to plot out the attack. Zada, who was 17 at the time, was charged as an adult and pleaded guilty in April. He faces up to 15 years in prison. Tawhedi arrived in the U.S. in September 2021 on a special immigration visa shortly after the capital city of Afghanistan, Kabul, was captured by the Taliban. At the time of his arrest on Oct. 7, Tawhedi was on parole while his immigration status was pending, according to the Justice Department. His parole status has since been revoked. FBI agents had testified earlier that Tawhedi, who worked as a rideshare driver and at auto shops, was under surveillance for more than a month before his arrest. ___
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE White House invites MAGA-friendly UFC fighters to generate buzz at Trump's big military parade
Former UFC fighters Tim Kennedy and Luke Rockhold have been invited by White House officials to join Donald Trump at his big military parade this weekend. Trump is staging the event in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army on Saturday, which also happens to mark his 79th birthday. While forecasted thunderstorms are threatening to literally rain on his parade - with a Pentagon source confirming that it will be canceled or postponed in the event of lightning - the president will have two ex-MMA stars alongside him to generate a buzz if it indeed goes ahead. Kennedy, an American soldier as well as a retired mixed martial artist, and former UFC Middleweight champion Rockhold are on a list of over 30 celebrities set to attend after receiving personal invites from the White House. Both men will be there to both drum up support for Trump, who is of course good friends with UFC President Dana White, and celebrate the history of the US Army, something Kennedy is very familiar with himself after spending over two decades in the military. Earlier this week the 45-year-old took to Instagram in his army uniform to give fans a sneak preview of the parade setup, saying in a video: 'This is an amazing opportunity, this is a once in a lifetime chance to see and celebrate American soldiers and their service.' Ex-UFC stars Tim Kennedy (left) and Luke Rockhold (right) were invited by White House chiefs He later added: 'Check it out this Saturday. Support the greatest nation that ever existed.' Kennedy, who won 18 of his 24 professional MMA bouts, is a well-publicized Trump supporter and even joined the president in Oval Office back in April as part of a special event to honor US veterans. Rockhold, meanwhile, recently reached out to Trump with a plea after his good friend and fellow ex-MMA fighter Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison for the attempted murder of a man he believed had molested one of his relatives. In his own career, the 40-year-old won 16 of his 22 contests and captured the UFC's middleweight crown in 2015. Ahead of Saturday's parade, A Pentagon source confirmed to the Daily Mail that if there's lightning in the area it will have to be canceled or postponed. A White House spokesperson pressed that some show would go on. 'Any changes to the Army Birthday Parade will be announced by the Department of Defense of America 250 Commission. No matter what, a historic celebration of our military servicemembers will take place!' deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said to the Daily Mail. The Weather Channel's current forecast for Saturday in Washington calls for cloudy skies in the morning with thunderstorms developing later in the day. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tim Kennedy (@timkennedymma) Instead of doing a traditional daytime parade, organizers decided to have it kick off down Constitution Ave. at 6:30 p.m. The parade itself will only last an hour - with a concert planned directly afterward followed by a fireworks display over the National Mall. Trump has long wanted to have a military-style parade, after seeing France's Bastille Day festivities, which also marked the U.S.'s 100th anniversary of entering World War I, in July of 2017. During his first term he was dissuaded from holding one over cost concerns.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Japan and US explored possibility of trade deal, Japan trade negotiator says
June 13 (Reuters) - Japan and the U.S. on Friday explored the possibility of a trade agreement, Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, told a briefing, while refraining from commenting how close they are to reaching a deal. "We had a very detailed exchange and explored the possibility of a trade agreement," Akazawa told reporters after he met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick separately in Washington in a sixth round of tariff negotiations. It is likely to be the last round before Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump are to meet in Canada on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders' summit, where Japan has been hoping to clinch a deal. Akazawa refrained from commenting on whether the talks have matured enough to reach an agreement, saying a deal is possible only when the leaders of both countries approve everything as a package. He also declined to comment on the chance of Ishiba and Trump reaching an agreement at their upcoming meeting. Japan faces a 24% tariff rate starting in July unless it can negotiate a deal with the U.S. It is also scrambling to find ways to get Washington to exempt its automakers from 25% tariffs on automobiles, Japan's biggest industry.
