Gov. Gavin Newsom is pressing for direct action, nearly a month after the U.S. Supreme Court gave cities the green light to clear homeless encampments and arrest or fine unhoused people for sleeping in public spaces.
As CalMatters homelessness reporter Marisa Kendall explains, the governor on Thursday issued an executive order directing state agencies to adopt policies to sweep encampments on state property, and urged local governments to do the same.
Newsom, in a video statement: “We have now no excuse with the Supreme Court decision. This executive order is about pushing that paradigm further and getting the sense of urgency that’s required of local government to do their job.”
Per Newsom’s order, state agencies should give residents at least 48-hour notice before clearing a camp, and provide storage for their belongings for at least 60 days. Agencies also should request services from local organizations for displaced residents. But encampments that pose an “imminent threat” to life, health, safety or infrastructure can be removed immediately.
