California Governor Releases Guidelines for Clearing Homeless Encampments

Gov. Gavin Newsom created a model ordinance for cities and counties to adopt ‘without delay.’

A man stands in front of a homeless encampment, with the Hollywood sign in the background, in Los Angeles on Sept. 23, 2019. Mario Tama/Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a model ordinance for cities and counties to address homeless camps and called on local officials to adopt and implement the policies “without delay,” the governor announced on May 12.

The policies are backed up by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June 2024 that found local jurisdictions can legally ban homeless encampments.

“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,” Newsom said in a statement. “Local leaders asked for resources—we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity—the courts delivered.”

The state was not “giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity,” to address encampment and connect homeless people to shelter, housing, and care, he said.

“The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses,” the governor said.

The Newsom administration has provided local communities with more than $27 billion to address homelessness. The governor said he has also created stronger accountability laws and tools.

The model ordinance, which would have to be enacted individually by cities and counties, sets rules around encampments and establishes enforcement procedures that prioritize notice, shelter, and services, he said.

“Encampments pose a serious public safety risk, and expose the people in encampments to increased risk of sexual violence, criminal activity, property damage, break-ins, and unsanitary conditions,” the governor’s office said in a statement.

Californians have consistently cited homelessness as a top issue facing the state, according to a report published in March by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

In 2024, California accounted for more than 187,000—or about one-fourth of the nation’s 771,500 homeless, the institute reported. Of those, two in three were unsheltered.

During the same time, California also had among the lowest home ownership rates in the United States, according to the PPIC.

Monday’s announcement is Newsom’s second major push to crack down on outdoor homeless camps. Last year, the governor issued an executive order directing all state departments and agencies to start clearing the encampments.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses the state's plan for homelessness initiatives in Los Angeles on Sept. 29, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Since July 2021, the state has cleared more than 16,000 encampments and over 312,000 cubic yards of waste and debris from sites, according to Newsom.

The model ordinance contains provisions that can be modified based on local jurisdictions, including a prohibition on persistent camping in one location, a prohibition on encampments that block free passage on sidewalks, and a requirement that local officials give notice and make reasonable efforts to identify and offer shelter before clearing an encampment.

The ordinance would require local jurisdictions to give at least 48-hour notices, conduct outreach for services, and ensure proper storage of items for homeless people in an encampment.

The announcement comes with the release of another $3.3 billion in voter-approved Proposition 1 funding grants to several programs to expand behavioral health housing and treatment for the state’s most seriously ill and homeless, the governor’s office announced on Monday.

A homeless encampment in Santa Ana, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Prop. 1 authorized the state to raise $6.38 billion in bonds to build mental health treatment facilities for people with mental health and substance use problems, and provide housing for the homeless.

On Monday, Newsom announced that the grant funding would create over 5,000 residential treatment beds and more than 21,800 outpatient treatment slots for behavioral health care services. The program is administered by the state’s Health Care Services Department.

“Today marks a critical milestone in our commitment to transforming California’s behavioral health system,” said Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Kim Johnson in a statement. “Through these awards, we are investing in bold, community-driven solutions that expand access to care, promote equity, and meet people where they are.”

In the future, the bond funding is expected to create a total of 6,800 residential treatment beds to nearly meet the state’s 7,000-bed shortfall, according to the governor’s office.

Monday’s grant awards are the first of two rounds. The second round is expected to provide more than $800 million for behavioral health treatment facilities, the governor added.

Audits of homeless spending in the state and Los Angeles have been critical in the past year.

An audit of the state’s $24 billion in homelessness funding published in April 2024 concluded the state needed to do more to monitor the cost-effectiveness of the spending.

According to the study, the state’s Interagency Council on Homelessness had not tracked and reported spending since 2021, leaving state lawmakers struggling to understand the ongoing costs and outcomes.

In March, a study commissioned by federal District Judge David Carter, and completed by Alvarez & Marshal Public Sector Services, found it difficult to quantify how the city of Los Angeles spent about $2.3 billion in funding meant to shelter, feed, and serve homeless people.