In a statement he has made often over the years with little success, Governor Gavin Newsom reminded California towns this week that there “were no more excuses” for homeless encampments.
Homelessness, a long-standing issue stemming from a competitive and expensive housing market that worsened in January when more than 12,000 homes burned down in Los Angeles County, is still evident on sidewalks and in freeway underpasses from Sacramento to Los Angeles.
Widely regarded as a Democratic candidate for president in 2028, Newsom seems to be hardening his position on subjects that will likely follow him around during the campaign.
In his “no more excuses” speech, the former mayor of San Francisco made a number of alleged centrist statements, one of which was that towns should outlaw camping on public grounds for longer than three consecutive nights.
Newsom announced a new budget on Wednesday that rescinds his flagship provision of free healthcare for low-income undocumented immigrants and drastically reduces funding for reproductive health services.
In reference to the economic effects of the president’s trade war, Newsom told reporters that the rollbacks were intended to help balance California’s budget and reverse the “Trump slump.”
“I’ve always been a hardheaded pragmatist,” he acknowledged when asked if his seeming shift to the centre is connected to a potential 2028 run.
However, he did not have the authority to execute the homelessness standards he released this week. Local authorities are free to disregard them and carry on with their own plans.
However, Newsom might have to explain to a national audience why his state, which boasts the fourth-largest economy in the world, has the highest number of homeless people in the United States—roughly 187,000 people living on the streets, in cars, and in dilapidated RVs on any given night—if things don’t get better before the 2028 primaries.
Max Burns, a Democratic strategist, described Newsom’s effort to win over both the left and the right as “pure triangulation.” “Gavin Newsom is attempting to implement the idea that we lost last year because we were simply too progressive.”
Many voters are questioning Newsom’s objectives after he called for the removal of encampments and the reduction of services for undocumented immigrants and reproductive health care.
The housing issue has deep roots and “won’t be resolved without a partnership between state and local governments,” according to Carolyn Coleman, CEO of the League of California Cities.
“Cities in California are not the barrier to preventing and reducing homelessness,” she stated.
Since entering politics more than 20 years ago, Newsom, 57, has made an effort to address the homelessness issue. As a supervisor in San Francisco in 2002, he advocated for legislation to reduce general assistance program expenditures and reroute funds to expand shelters and other services for homeless individuals.
The United States Supreme Court decided in 2024 that prohibiting encampments on public property does not violate the Constitution. In response, Newsom instructed counties and localities to begin removing people off the streets, but to do so “with compassion.”
He recommended that local authorities set up procedures and initiatives to assist homeless people in locating drug rehab facilities, mental health care, and housing.
While some did comply, others did not. Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, where there are 45,252 homeless individuals, stated that she would not clear encampments in the event that shelter was not available and would instead keep concentrating on matching homeless persons with temporary or transitional housing.
Numerous cities have tightened their anti-camping regulations and cracked down on encampments, including some in neighbouring Orange County.
Although they have effectively adopted their own programs without his guidance, other local officials, such as the mayor of San Diego, have praised Newsom for continuing to address the situation.
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Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, stated that it is easy to examine every action taken by Gavin Newsom in pursuit of his presidential goals.
“But this is absolutely in line with the direction that he’s been moving in on homelessness throughout his governorship, and also fits longterm parts of his political career.”
According to Burns, if Newsom runs against voters in 2028—the year of the L.A. Olympics—he exposes himself to criticism from both the right and the left.
“The problem is voters aren’t sure what to believe,” he said. “They’ve seen him toss so many of these values overboard that no one can quite tell you what Gavin Newsom stands for, and that is going to be a bigger problem for him than anything.”
