California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a directive calling for cities to take down homeless encampments after the Supreme Court gave orders to dismantle the camps.
The move to begin dismantling thousands of encampments throughout California comes after the high court ruled last month in favor of an Oregon city that ticketed homeless people for sleeping outside.
“This executive order directs state agencies to move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them — and provides guidance for cities and counties to do the same,” Newson said in a statement.
“There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.”
The order calls on state officials “to adopt humane and dignified policies to urgently address encampments on state property.”
California has the largest homeless population – more than 180,000 people – in the nation, according to a 2023 homelessness assessment report to Congress from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
California’s policies following the Supreme Court decision are being closely watched by other cities and states, even advocates across the country.
“Newsom could have issued this order before the (Supreme Court) decision. The only difference now is that states and localities are free to confine and arrest people even when there is no shelter available,” said Chris Herring, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California Los Angeles.
“So before the Supreme Court ruling cities were in the position where they would have to provide shelter offers before removing encampments. Now … they will be able to carry out these encampment sweeps with the very real threat of issuing people incredibly expensive fines of which people cannot pay and often results in a warrant or an arrest or can result in incarceration.”
Late last month, the results of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s point-in-time count – conducted in January – showed the homeless population in Los Angeles had dropped for the first time in six years.
According to the count, homelessness was down 2.2% in Los Angeles and 0.27% in the county.
There were still 45,253 homeless people counted in the city and 75,312 people unhoused in the county, the authority reported.
“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,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Thursday.
