Newsom’s proposal to clear homeless encampments begs question: Where are people supposed to go?

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday again urged California cities and counties to restrict homeless encampments, a move that came as he released more than $3 billion in Proposition 1 funding for housing and treatment for the most seriously ill and unhoused in the state.

Newsom issued what he called a model ordinance that would ban persistent camping in one location, prohibit encampments that block free passage on sidewalks and require local officials to offer shelter before clearing an encampment.

“We’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care,” the governor said in a statement. “The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.”

Echoing statements he made in October, Newsom pointed to a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said cities and counties are allowed to enforce anti-camping laws without fear of violating the Constitution. The court has delivered “legal clarity,” he said.

At that time, the governor ordered the removal of encampments from state property.

Responses from local leaders

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger commended Newsom for releasing what she called a “thoughtful and timely model ordinance.”

“It strikes an important balance between protecting public safety and health while ensuring compassion for individuals experiencing homelessness,” Barger said in a statement.

In the past, a majority of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors has opposed enacting a ban on encampments.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath is among the opponents. She said the county is taking “urgent action” to restructure homeless services to provide greater accountability and results. She was referring to the board’s recent decision to end funding for the troubled Los Angeles Housing Services Authority, known as LAHSA, and create a new county homelessness department.

“Unless we remove the barriers to building housing and wrapping people in services, we will not break this cycle," Horvath said in statement.

Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen praised the governor’s proposal, but questioned his motives.

“It's political expedience,” she said. “He wants to run for United States president and he knows that everybody is looking at California and going ‘We don’t want our state to turn into California.'”

A statement from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass did not address Newsom’s proposal. Instead it touted a decrease in homelessness in the city.

“In partnership with the Governor’s office, we drove homelessness down in Los Angeles first time in years in 2023 and preliminary data suggests another decrease in 2024,” it states. “We will continue working together to keep moving tents and people off of streets and into housing as we improve and refine our approach.”

Some cities around the state, including Los Angeles, have partial prohibitions on encampments. L.A.’s law allows council members to designate areas in their district where unhoused people cannot sit, lie down, sleep, or keep belongings on sidewalks or other public areas.

People are supposed to receive advanced warning and help finding shelter before encampments are cleared. L.A. also bans camping outside schools, daycare centers and other sensitive sites.

Unanswered question

In releasing his proposal, Newsom touted that California has removed thousands of encampments on state lands. The state has cleared more than 16,000 encampments from sites along the state right of way, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

“These results demonstrate that the policy is effective and scalable, offering a sound, adoptable framework for jurisdictions to resolve encampments with urgency and dignity,” the office said.

One researcher said Newsom’s proposal leaves one big question unanswered.

“It still begs the question of where are people supposed to go,” said Ben Henwood, director of USC’s Center for Homelessness, Housing and Health Equity Research. “That is the elephant in the room.”

He said most cities and counties lack shelter beds and affordable housing to make the governor’s proposal work.

“Localities are already trying to do this,” Henwood said, referring to efforts by cities and counties to move people from the streets to available housing. “I’m not sure what the governor’s comments are meant to facilitate.”

Proposition 1

The governor also announced the release of $3.3 billion from Proposition 1, which was passed by voters in 2024.

The measure authorizes California to borrow and spend $6.4 billion to build more treatment facilities for mental health and addiction, as well as housing for individuals with mental health, drug, or alcohol challenges, including those experiencing homelessness.

"We are extremely grateful for the State’s investments in housing and treatment,” Horvath said. “We must continue our partnership by ensuring programs like Homekey+ are not buried in red tape, so local governments can put the money to work.”

Homekey+ is the permanent housing component of Proposition 1.

Editor's note: LAist initially questioned the accuracy of the years cited in the Mayor Karen Bass' statement because the homeless counts happened several weeks into 2024 and 2025.

However, the statement accurately reflects the timing of the change recorded in official homeless counts.