Gov. Gavin Newsom orders homeless sweeps across the Golden State

Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a directive to bust up homeless encampments that have plagued San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities, following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

The California governor dispatched his executive order directing officials to begin dismantling the tents and makeshift hovels after the court’s decision last month in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, which Newsom says provides “definitive authority” for state and local officials to clear unsafe encampments, the San Francisco Standard reported.

“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 statement.

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

The directive urges state agencies to follow the lead of Caltrans, which has an encampment policy that has allowed it to conduct 11,188 sweeps over the past three years, clearing away 248,275 cubic yards of debris from state roadway camps.

The order also nudges local governments to apply for grants from $3.3 billion available through Proposition 1, which voters passed this year to expand behavioral health services for homeless residents.

Earlier rulings by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had limited local governments from addressing homeless encampments, resulting in lengthy legal battles over sweeps.

Meanwhile, the state allocated $1 billion to an Encampment Resolution Fund to move people off the streets and into shelters.

Before Newsom’s executive order, San Francisco officials had already plotted their next moves since an appeals court overturned an injunction that prevented the city from enforcing a ban on sitting, lying or lodging on public property against “involuntarily homeless” people.

Last week, Mayor London Breed said a “very aggressive” sweep of homeless encampments would begin in August. The mayor’s office said city tent counts were at a five-year low.

“San Francisco is already doing what the governor is calling for,” Breed spokeswoman Parisa Safarzadeh told The Standard. “Our city encampment teams and street outreach staff have been going out every day to bring people indoors, and to clean and clear encampments.” 

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In San Jose, Mayor Matt Mahan said the Bay Area’s largest city was “eager to work with the state” to quickly remove encampments from state property, especially those by neighborhoods and freeways.

“Here in San Jose we’re working around the clock to stand up safe, managed placements and require they be used,” the mayor said in an email to the Standard. “We appreciate Gov. Newsom’s order signaling that the state is also ready to solve this crisis with both compassion and urgency.”

— Dana Bartholomew