Los Angeles Officials React to Governor’s Strongly Worded Message
Today, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that stated, “Governor Newsom today issued an executive order directing state agencies to urgently address homeless encampments while respecting the dignity and safety of Californians experiencing homelessness. The Governor’s order, which follows the Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass, also urges local governments to use substantial funding provided by the state to take similar action.”
Governor Newsom said, in a terse social media statement, “No more excuses. We’ve provided the time. We’ve provided the funds. Now it’s time for locals to do their job.” The Governor cannot force municipalities to do as he says but can withhold funding from cities that do not.
The statement also adds, “The order encourages local governments to emulate the state’s successful model to adopt local policies and to use all available resources, including those provided by the state’s historic investments in housing and intervention programs, to address encampments within their jurisdictions.
Governor Newsom also encourages local governments to apply for the newly available $3.3 billion in competitive grant funding from Proposition 1 to expand the behavioral health continuum and provide appropriate care to individuals experiencing mental health conditions and substance use disorders — with a particular focus on people who are most seriously ill, vulnerable, or homeless.
The reactions were swift.
Mayor Karen Bass, now in Paris, France, with an American delegation to the 2024 Summer Olympics, said, “For the first time in years, unsheltered homelessness has decreased in Los Angeles because of a comprehensive approach that leads with housing and services, not criminalization.”
Traci Park, CD 11 Los Angeles City Councilmember, said, via a social media post, “We’ve been doing this work in CD11 since the day I took office, and we didn’t need an Executive Order to get it done. I fully agree with Governor Newsom: No more excuses! LA City and County need to listen up.”
Kenneth Meija, the Los Angeles City Controller, released a lengthy statement that went into detail about the Controller’s previous objections to this policy.
The Controller’s Office previously released a detailed statement denouncing the Grants Pass Ruling and maintains its position that punishing people for sleeping outside when there is no available shelter is both inhumane and does not result in meaningful reductions in homelessness or encampments.
It has been shown time and time again that clearing homeless encampments does not help reduce homelessness or encampment numbers over time but only increases the number of unsheltered, unhoused people. This month, RAND released a study that showed that in areas with frequent encampment clearings, encampments returned within months, and in Venice, the share of unhoused people living literally unsheltered (without a tent or vehicle) jumped from 20% to 46%. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) found that LA Municipal Code 41.18, which allows for encampment removal in certain areas, isn’t effective at reducing encampments or helping to house people – while costing over $3 million in two years, not including enforcement costs.
The Controller’s Office believes that homeless encampment removal historically has equated to criminalization. It is cruel and unusual punishment for people without homes with nowhere to realistically go. As of 2023, there were only approximately 16,000 shelter beds in the City of LA for approximately 45,000 unhoused people. Even when there are available beds, our audit found that LAHSA’s unreliable shelter bed data makes it next to impossible to find a bed.
Our Office again urges the Mayor and City Council to ban criminalizing homelessness and the City Attorney not to enforce laws that criminalize homelessness while the legislative process runs its course. The City of Los Angeles must reject Governor Newsom’s inhumane, unproven policy.
The City must prioritize preventing more people from falling into homelessness, and we must prioritize providing permanent housing with support services for our unhoused neighbors.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued the following statement in response to California Governor Gavin Newsom issuing an executive order for the removal of homeless encampments in California:
“I applaud Governor Newsom’s emphasis on urgency. He rightfully points out that local government remains at the helm of homeless encampment removals. Cities have an obligation to develop housing and shelter solutions in tandem with support services provided by the County government. This formula, which is largely based on partnerships, is how we can deliver permanent results. No single entity can achieve that.”
