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Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
California's homeless crisis could be Gavin Newsom's political albatross
Gov. Gavin Newsom told California cities this week that there 'were no more excuses' for homeless encampments, a message he has repeated often over the years with little success. Visible signs of homelessness still line sidewalks and freeway underpasses from Sacramento to Los Angeles, an entrenched crisis rooted in a tight and unaffordable housing market that grew worse in January when more than 12,000 homes burned to the ground in Los Angeles County. Newsom, widely considered a Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential race, appears to be toughening his stance on issues likely to follow him on the campaign trail. His "no more excuses" message included the suggestion that municipalities ban camping on public property for more than three nights in a row, one of several perceived moves to the center the former San Francisco mayor has taken recently. On Wednesday, Newsom unveiled a revised budget that makes significant cuts to reproductive health services and walks back his signature policy to provide free healthcare for low-income undocumented immigrants. The rollbacks were meant to help balance California's budget and turn around the 'Trump slump,' Newsom told reporters, referring to economic fallout from the president's trade war. Asked if his apparent move to the center is related to a possible 2028 run, he said, 'I've been, always, a hardheaded pragmatist.' Yet the guidelines on homelessness that he announced this week do not carry enforcement power. Local leaders can ignore them and continue to pursue their own policies. But if the situation doesn't improve before the primaries in 2028, Newsom may be forced to explain to a national audience why his state, with the fourth-largest economy in the world, has the largest homeless population in the U.S., with about 187,000 people living on the streets, in cars and in decrepit RVs on any given night. 'It's pure triangulation,' said Democratic strategist Max Burns, referring to Newsom's attempt to appeal to both the right and the left. 'This is Gavin Newsom trying to enact this theory that the reason we lost last year was because we were just too progressive." Newsom's call to clear encampments and roll back services for undocumented immigrants and reproductive health care have left many voters wondering where his priorities lie. Carolyn Coleman, CEO of the League of California Cities, said the housing crisis has deep roots that "won't be resolved without a partnership between state and local governments.' 'California cities are not the obstacle to reducing and preventing homelessness,' she said. Newsom, 57, has attempted to tackle the homelessness crisis since entering politics more than two decades ago. In 2002, as a San Francisco supervisor, he pushed a measure to cut the budgets of general assistance programs and redirect the money toward providing more shelters and other services for unhoused people. Fast forward to 2024 when the U.S Supreme Court ruled that banning encampments on public property does not violate the U.S. Constitution. Newsom reacted by telling cities and counties to start getting people off their streets, but to do it "with compassion.' He suggested local leaders establish programs and systems to help unhoused residents find shelter, mental health services and drug treatment centers. Some complied, some didn't. In Los Angeles, which has a homeless population of 45,252, Mayor Karen Bass said she would continue to focus on pairing unhoused people with temporary or transitional housing and would not clear encampments if shelter was unavailable. Several cities, including some in nearby Orange County, have cracked down on encampments and strengthened anti-camping laws. Other local leaders, like the mayor of San Diego, have commended Newsom for continuing to address the crisis but said they have successfully implemented their own policies without his direction. 'It's tempting to look at every single thing that Gavin Newsom does as part of his presidential aspirations,' said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego. 'But this is absolutely in line with the direction that he's been moving in on homelessness throughout his governorship, and also fits longterm parts of his political career.' If Newsom faces voters in 2028, which coincides with the L.A. Olympics, he opens himself up to attacks from both the right and left, Burns said. 'The problem is voters aren't sure what to believe,' he said. 'They've seen him toss so many of these values overboard that no one can quite tell you what Gavin Newsom stands for, and that is going to be a bigger problem for him than anything.' This article was originally published on
Politico
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Who's the mayor of California?
THE BUZZ: IT'S ALL LOCAL — Tensions between Gov. Gavin Newsom and local governments went from steaming to boiling Wednesday. An exasperated Newsom lambasted cities and counties for their progress on homelessness in an epic soliloquy that was heated even for a governor who has gone out of his way to admonish local governments over their failures to move people indoors or build enough housing. 'How do people get reelected?' Newsom said of local officials. 'Look at these encampments. They're a disgrace.' And then, as if to illustrate the passage of time, the governor said encampments have 'been there for years and years and years and years. I've heard that same rhetoric for years. People are dying. Kids are being born.' Making the tongue lashing worse, Newsom's comments came after he presented a deficit-closing budget proposal that omitted many of the local governments' funding requests — for transit (more on the below), implementing the tough-on-crime Proposition 36 and housing assistance. Cities and counties panned Newsom's proposal, teeing up a second consecutive year of budget negotiations in which Newsom will be directly at odds with local officeholders. 'California cities are not the obstacle to reducing and preventing homelessness,' League of California Cities CEO Carolyn Coleman said in a statement, which remarked that the proposal 'fails to invest' in any of the group's priorities. Things got a touch personal. Asked about criticism from the California State Association of Counties, Newsom said he would encourage group CEO Graham Knaus to look at what the state has spent on behavioral health already, characteristically rattling off statistics to make his point. 'We're all frustrated on homelessness, but we're not going to make more progress being frustrated,' Knaus, who was waiting outside the room where Newsom presented, told Playbook. 'We're going to make more progress having reliable funding from the state.' Newsom's argument is that cities and counties have been given ample resources — more than $27 billion in recent years — to address the twin housing and homelessness crises. So if money isn't the problem, he asserts, it's a lack of political will. Jason Elliott, a veteran Democratic consultant and Newsom's former deputy chief of staff, said while a handful of counties have been aggressive in clearing encampments and expanding supportive housing, including Fresno and San Francisco, many others have avoided tough fights. 'What more could you possibly ask the state to do?' Elliott told Playbook. 'If $27 billion isn't sufficient, is another $3 billion? Is another $27 billion? At some point, money cannot be an excuse.' Newsom, the former mayor of San Francisco (which is both a city and a county), also evoked his time at City Hall as he chided local leaders. Back then, the governor noted, California provided little, if any, state money for local governments to address homelessness. 'When I was mayor, we didn't receive $1, and I never would have said what the head of the CSAC said,' Newsom said, referring to Knaus. 'I'm not trying to point fingers, but my gosh, the state has never done more in its history.' The counties are seeking a steadier stream of funding, but also clarity on who bears responsibility for ensuring a locale has enough shelter space, transitional housing and more. 'Higher investments than we've ever had — the government's absolutely right about that, and we're thankful for that,' Knaus said. 'We need clear responsibilities for all levels of government in order for it to work.' In the waning hours of the day, more flashpoints of the conflict emerged. Former legislator and Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo on X accused the governor of finger pointing, and Newsom's staff clapped back with screenshots of an administration website showing Monterey County's lack of progress on homelessness planning. Alejo was not cowed. 'The Governor is playing politics with homelessness, just like he did last year,' he told Playbook in a text. 'So once again, it falls to the Legislature to do the right thing.' GOOD MORNING. Happy Thursday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @dustingardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. HOUSING CEQA REFORM INCOMING — On top of chiding local governments, Newsom waded into a fight between Democratic legislators that had threatened to imperil two landmark bills designed to turbocharge housing construction. The measures, by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and state Sen. Scott Wiener, would slash local restrictions and environmental reviews. Newsom announced during his budget news conference that he would instead advance the bills through the budget, over which he has considerably more leverage. The move is a sea change for housing policy in California as well as Newsom, who has often stayed out of legislative fights over housing policy until bills land on his desk. As our colleague Jeremy B. White writes, the tactic could allow Newsom to circumvent legislative obstacles like hostile committee chairs (cough... Aisha Wahab in Senate Housing), and he will hold considerable leverage over lawmakers intent on securing their spending priorities. TRANSPORTATION RAILROADED — Public transit advocates got the cold shoulder in Newsom's revised budget, as the governor sidestepped a request to set aside $2 billion to provide a lifeline to transit systems on the brink of fiscal collapse. But don't expect the conversation to stop there. Advocacy groups in the Bay Area said they plan to launch a more public campaign to try to get the governor's attention in the coming weeks — including by rallying the business community and staging street protests. 'We aren't talking about minor cuts anymore, we're talking about near-total shutdown,' said Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR, an urban advocacy group based in San Francisco. She warned that such cuts would be a dramatic blow to the state's economy, as well as its climate goals. The effort comes as BART, Muni, Caltrain and other regional transit agencies say that, without state support, they could be forced to slash service due to lingering financial effects from a pandemic-era drop in ridership. LA Metro has also warned that it faces fiscal headwinds ahead of the city hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics. INSURANCE LARALASH — Wildfire survivors and fellow natural disaster victims are keeping the political pressure on Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara after he approved State Farm's 17 percent rate hike request on Tuesday evening. Extreme Weather Survivors, having failed to dissuade Lara with an earlier digital ad campaign, is now running digital spots assailing Lara by asserting he enabled State Farm even as the company delays payouts. The five-figure campaign targeting attendees at a recent insurance conference keynoted by Lara is a reminder that soaring costs, rampant cancellations, and the overall precariousness of California's insurance market should make for an unusually high-stakes race to succeed Lara in 2026. — Jeremy B. White TECH TALK BLAME GAME — Newsom blamed much of California's budget woes on the so-called 'Trump Slump' from tariffs that hurt the tech industry. But much like Trump, he's longing for tech's embrace — or at least that's the message the governor sent as he delivered on the industry's budget priorities in remarks littered with Silicon Valley buzzwords like 'iterative' and 'sandbox.' Our colleagues Christine Mui and Tyler Katzenberger have more for POLITICO Pro subscribers. CLIMATE AND ENERGY PULL UP A SEAT — Newsom put out his long-awaited invitation to lawmakers yesterday to extend the state's cap-and-trade program through 2045. Read last night's California Climate to see who's at the table — and what's on the menu — as negotiations kick off in earnest. TOP TALKERS LAW AND ORDER L.A. — Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman gave an insight to how Prop 36 is working in the county on Tuesday. He praised the stiffer drug and theft penalties. 'Has Prop 36 resulted in more felony arrests? The answer is yes,' Hochman said. 'Since December 18, we have had over a thousand Proposition 36 felony arrests for thieves alone.' EDUCATION VOTE — The latest iteration of a bill aimed at limiting antisemitism in schools, AB 715 by Assemblymembers Dawn Addis and Rick Zbur, was approved by the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday. The bill had replaced a contentious proposal that specifically would have restricted what ethnic studies teachers at public high schools could say about the war in Gaza and other international conflicts. Committee members treaded lightly during a tense hearing, but encouraged the authors to work on amendments that would protect students from discrimination and preserve the ability to have hard conversations in schools. Several members of the Legislative Jewish Caucus attended the hearing to show support during public comment. The bill is still mostly light on specifics. PODIUM PAY — The Los Angeles City Council wants to raise the minimum wage for workers in the tourism industry to $30 per hour by 2028, ahead of the Olympic Games, despite pushback from business leaders, the Los Angeles Times reports. Workers at hotels and airport businesses would benefit. 'It's been way too long, but finally, today, this building is working for the people, not the corporations,' Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez said. AROUND THE STATE — The largest healthcare system in Fresno will pay the federal government $31.5 million over allegations that it gave physicians illegal kickbacks, including liquor and cigars, for patient referrals. (The Fresno Bee) — Pay raises for workers in Southern California have, on average, outpaced inflation in consumer prices for the last eight quarters. (The Orange County Register) — A Swiss billionaire who owns California wineries is being sued by a former female employee who alleges he repeatedly harassed her. (San Francisco Chronicle) Compiled by Nicole Norman PLAYBOOKERS PEOPLE MOVES — Veteran tech litigator Jessica Nall has joined international law firm Withers as partner and leader of its executive crisis management and defense practice in San Francisco. She joins Withers from Baker McKenzie. BIRTHDAYS — Assemblymember Greg Wallis (favorite cake: mint chocolate chip ice cream cake) … actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler ... Nick Papas of Airbnb … Jen Stout … Alejandro Gonzalez … Lizzie Poniarski … Steven Yee. WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
13-05-2025
- Politics
What to know about California Gov. Gavin Newsom's move to ban encampments
SAN FRANCISCO -- California's governor called upon the state's cities and counties to ban homeless encampments this week, even providing blueprint legislation for dismantling the tents lining streets, parks and waterways throughout much of the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, made homelessness a priority of his administration when he took office in 2019. It had previously been an issue primarily for mayors and other local officials, but Newsom pumped money into converting old motels into housing and launched other initiatives to tackle the issue. Still, he has repeatedly called out cities and counties to do their part, and on Monday, he unveiled draft language that can be adopted by local governments to remove encampments. Here is what to know: Newsom's model ordinance includes prohibitions on 'persistent camping' in one location and encampments blocking sidewalks and other public spaces. It asks cities and counties to provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter before clearing an encampment. Organizations representing California's cities and counties balked at the suggestion that they are to blame for street conditions. They say they need dedicated, sustained funding over multiple years for permanent projects instead of sporadic, one-time funding. Carolyn Coleman, executive director and CEO of the League of California Cities, said that eight in 10 cities have policies to address encampments but they need money to address the root causes of homelessness, such as more housing. The California State Association of Counties said the state has not provided as much money to address homelessness as it says it has and that half of the money has gone to housing developers. Studies have shown that encampment bans and other punitive measures make it even harder for people to find stable housing and work, said Alex Visotzky with the National Alliance to End Homelessness. People may lose critical documents or lose contact with a trusted case manager, forcing them to start all over again. In Los Angeles, Jay Joshua watches over a small encampment in which he also lives. He says encampments can be a safe space for those living there. Major cities with Democratic mayors have already started cracking down on encampments, saying they present a public health and safety hazard. In San Francisco, new mayor Daniel Lurie vowed to clean up city sidewalks. In San Jose, Mayor Matt Mahan has proposed arrests if a person refuses shelter three times. Newsom can't make cities and counties adopt an encampment ban. But the proposed encampment legislation was paired with an announcement of $3.3 billion in grant money for facilities to treat mental health and substance abuse disorders, suggesting that he could condition state funding on compliance. In 2022, he paused $1 billion in state money for local government, saying that their plans to reduce homelessness fell short of the acceptable.
Fast Company
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Fast Company
California Gov. Newsom moves to ban homeless encampments. Here's what to know about his proposal
California's governor called upon the state's cities and counties to ban homeless encampments this week, even providing blueprint legislation for dismantling the tents lining streets, parks and waterways throughout much of the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, made homelessness a priority of his administration when he took office in 2019. It had previously been an issue primarily for mayors and other local officials, but Newsom pumped money into converting old motels into housing and launched other initiatives to tackle the issue. Still, he has repeatedly called out cities and counties to do their part, and on Monday, he unveiled draft language that can be adopted by local governments to remove encampments. Here is what to know: What does the model ordinance say? Newsom's model ordinance includes prohibitions on 'persistent camping' in one location and encampments blocking sidewalks and other public spaces. It asks cities and counties to provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter before clearing an encampment. What do local governments say? Organizations representing California's cities and counties balked at the suggestion that they are to blame for street conditions. They say they need dedicated, sustained funding over multiple years for permanent projects instead of sporadic, one-time funding. Carolyn Coleman, executive director and CEO of the League of California Cities, said that eight in 10 cities have policies to address encampments but they need money to address the root causes of homelessness, such as more housing. The California State Association of Counties said the state has not provided as much money to address homelessness as it says it has and that half of the money has gone to housing developers. What do homeless advocates say? Studies have shown that encampment bans and other punitive measures make it even harder for people to find stable housing and work, said Alex Visotzky with the National Alliance to End Homelessness. People may lose critical documents or lose contact with a trusted case manager, forcing them to start all over again. In Los Angeles, Jay Joshua watches over a small encampment in which he also lives. He says encampments can be a safe space for those living there. What are California cities doing about encampments? Major cities with Democratic mayors have already started cracking down on encampments, saying they present a public health and safety hazard. In San Francisco, new mayor Daniel Lurie vowed to clean up city sidewalks. In San Jose, Mayor Matt Mahan has proposed arrests if a person refuses shelter three times. Do cities and counties have to adopt it? Newsom can't make cities and counties adopt an encampment ban. But the proposed encampment legislation was paired with an announcement of $3.3 billion in grant money for facilities to treat mental health and substance abuse disorders, suggesting that he could condition state funding on compliance. In 2022, he paused $1 billion in state money for local government, saying that their plans to reduce homelessness fell short of the acceptable.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
What to know about California Governor Gavin Newsom's move to ban encampments
Tents are set up in a homeless encampment in Los Angeles (Image: AP) California's governor called upon the state's cities and counties to ban homeless encampments this week, even providing blueprint legislation for dismantling the tents lining streets, parks and waterways throughout much of the state. Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, made homelessness a priority of his administration when he took office in 2019. It had previously been an issue primarily for mayors and other local officials, but Newsom pumped money into converting old motels into housing and launched other initiatives to tackle the issue. Still, he has repeatedly called out cities and counties to do their part, and on Monday, he unveiled draft language that can be adopted by local governments to remove encampments. Here is what to know: What does the model ordinance say? Newsom's model ordinance includes prohibitions on "persistent camping" in one location and encampments blocking sidewalks and other public spaces. It asks cities and counties to provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter before clearing an encampment. What do local governments say? Organizations representing California's cities and counties balked at the suggestion that they are to blame for street conditions. They say they need dedicated, sustained funding over multiple years for permanent projects instead of sporadic, one-time funding. Carolyn Coleman, executive director and CEO of the League of California Cities, said that eight in 10 cities have policies to address encampments but they need money to address the root causes of homelessness, such as more housing. The California State Association of Counties said the state has not provided as much money to address homelessness as it says it has and that half of the money has gone to housing developers. What do homeless advocates say? Studies have shown that encampment bans and other punitive measures make it even harder for people to find stable housing and work, said Alex Visotzky with the National Alliance to End Homelessness . People may lose critical documents or lose contact with a trusted case manager, forcing them to start all over again. In Los Angeles, Jay Joshua watches over a small encampment in which he also lives. He says encampments can be a safe space for those living there. What are California cities doing about encampments? Major cities with Democratic mayors have already started cracking down on encampments, saying they present a public health and safety hazard. In San Francisco, new mayor Daniel Lurie vowed to clean up city sidewalks. In San Jose, Mayor Matt Mahan has proposed arrests if a person refuses shelter three times. Do cities and counties have to adopt it? Newsom can't make cities and counties adopt an encampment ban. But the proposed encampment legislation was paired with an announcement of $3.3 billion in grant money for facilities to treat mental health and substance abuse disorders, suggesting that he could condition state funding on compliance. In 2022, he paused $1 billion in state money for local government, saying that their plans to reduce homelessness fell short of the acceptable.
