Gov. Gavin Newsom urges California cities and counties to ban homeless encampments

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday urged California cities to clear homeless encampments, escalating efforts anew to address an intractable issue of his time in office: the makeshift tents that line underpasses, parks and streets up and down the state.

Newsom's administration unveiled a blueprint for a camping ban that counties, cities and towns can directly adopt or modify to achieve his goals. The Democratic governor is also releasing $3.3 billion in voter-approved funds to expand housing and treatment options for homeless residents.

“The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses,” Newsom said in a statement.

Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, made homelessness a priority upon taking office in 2019, tackling a problem that's largely been the purview of mayors and local government. With tents lining streets and disrupting businesses in cities and towns statewide, homelessness has become one of the most pressing public health and safety issues in California and one sure to dog Newsom if he runs for national office.

Read Full Article Here