Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday called for California cities and counties to ban homeless encampments, a move that could embolden Stockton and San Joaquin County to take stronger action to confront the issue.
“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,” Newsom said in a statement.
The release of the model ordinance to curtail encampments comes amid what is seen widely as an effort by the Democratic governor to enhance his national stature and position himself for a possible run for the White House in 2028. Newsom’s crackdown on homeless camps could curry favor with more moderate and conservative voters. Last year, he attracted widespread attention for participating in the cleanup of a Los Angeles homeless camp.
Advocates for the unhoused have long called for moving people into permanent, supportive housing. Newsom noted that $3.3 billion is being made available to cities from a state ballot proposition aimed at expanding care for the mentally ill living on the streets and “behavioral health housing.”
Newsom said that since July 2021, more than 16,000 encampments and over 311,873 cubic yards of waste and debris from sites have been cleared. The problem, of course, is that every time unhoused people are moved from one problem location, another camp pops up and the process begins again.
Backed by recent court decisions, cities and counties who enact Newsom’s model ordinance will be able to prohibit people from persistent camping in a single location and not allow sidewalks to be blocked. The move also would require officials to post notices informing those who will be forced to move of where they can find shelter.
Homeless camps continue to be a vexing issue in Stockton and San Joaquin County.
Last month, the Stockton City Council rejected an $825,000 proposal that, in its original form, would have relocated those living in a large encampment in White Slough. They would have been moved to a temporary tent shelter on Calaveras Avenue. The idea was shot down in a 4-3 vote amid questions about how the program would be structured and overseen, and whether individuals would return to the encampment after being in the program.
County supervisors, meanwhile, voted to buy the 62-acre Oakmoore Golf Course last year with an eye toward opening a “safe camping” facility for the unhoused. Besides providing a secure location for those who opt to live outdoors, it also would allow those experiencing homelessness to keep their pets — a big concern for those being urged to move into shelters or subsidized housing.