Newsom orders state agencies to remove homeless people from camps

By 
 July 26, 2024

Despite being the icon of the liberal utopia that is the left coast, the state of California has found that those ideologies have led to an embarrassing problem: Homeless people not living their best lives.

While the mantra of the ruling party in the state promotes free everything, it turns out that even bloated social programs can't fend off the human nature of sinking to the lowest common denominator, something that presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, now knows something about.

It also turns out that drug paraphernalia and human feces in the streets is a bit of a tourist deterrent, and since it's messing with the state money, something must be done.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's approval of a crackdown on homeless camps, Governor Newsom is now issuing a statewide call to action.

The Orders

In a first big show of force since the Supreme Court gave state and municipal authorities wider ability to clear encampments, Newsom ordered state agencies to remove homeless camps around the state earlier this week, as CalMatters reported.

In order to comply with Newsom's executive order, all state departments and agencies must establish procedures to remove camps from state-owned land. Local governments are likewise encouraged to do the same.

“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,” Newsom said in a news release.

“The state has been hard at work to address this crisis on our streets. There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.”

Supreme Court's Stance

The decision was made nearly one month after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated six years of protections for homeless encampment residents in California and other western states.

In the past, cities were prohibited from penalizing individuals for getting some sleep outdoors if they had no alternative place to stay. Subsequently, many communities, including San Francisco, were ordered by local courts to suspend or temporarily suspend encampment sweeps.

The justices in Grants Pass v. Johnson last month reversed the precedent by determining that a city can prohibit homeless encampments, even in the absence of available shelter, without violating the Constitution.

Newsom applauded the ruling, which grants municipal leaders extensive authority to conduct raids on camps.

In The City of Angles

Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, who previously opposed the Grants Pass ruling, was also critical of Newsom's new order.

“Strategies that just move people along from one neighborhood to the next or give citations instead of housing do not work,” she said in an emailed statement. “We thank the Governor for his partnership thus far and hope that he will continue collaboration on strategies that work.”

However, some mayors were more supportive: “We’re eager to work with the state to responsibly and quickly remove encampments from state property in San Jose, especially those adjacent to neighborhoods and in dangerous areas along our freeways and on- and off-ramps,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement.

Mayor Todd Gloria of San Diego said he was ready to welcome the governor’s “renewed direction and sense of urgency.”

" A free people [claim] their rights, as derived from the laws of nature."
Thomas Jefferson