California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday pushed cities to ban homeless encampments or sleeping rough on the streets — and is using state funds to force the issue.
Escalating his push to eradicate scores of encampments across the Golden State, the Democrat called on cities and towns to effectively prohibit tents from being erected on sidewalks, parks, bike paths and other public properties.
People will also be prohibited from sleeping on the streets with a sleeping bag, blankets or any other materials for more than three days in a row, according to the state-issued guidance.
“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets. Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity — the courts delivered,” Newsom said in a statement.
“Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.”
While Newsom can’t force city leaders to enact an outright ban, he promised that some $3.3 billion in state funding is available to communities that adopt his model ordinance.
The guidance doesn’t spell out whether criminal penalties should be enforced. It would be up to cities to determine how severely those who violate the ban should be punished.
Still, Newsom’s ordinance states that no one “should face criminal punishment for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go.”
“City officials, or any agent acting on their behalf, shall make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter at an emergency shelter, navigation center, or other appropriate housing, and to offer supportive services, to persons living in the encampment,” the guidance states.
The ordinance is an escalation of the state’s efforts to ban the growing number of makeshift camps on sidewalks and in parks that are the most visible signs of the crisis of people living on the streets.
In 2024, voters approved a Newsom-led measure that imposes strict requirements on counties to spend on housing and drug treatment programs to tackle the homelessness crisis.
The state accounts for roughly a third of the US homeless population — with more than 187,000 Californians in need of housing.
https://nypost.com/2025/05/12/us-news/newsom-calls-to-ban-homeless-encampments-on-public-property/
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