Newsom calls on California cities to ban homeless encampments without delay
Guardian1 day
Newsom Pushes Cities to Ban Homeless Camps
Above: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at Gemperle Orchard on April 16, 2025 in Ceres, California. Image copyright: Justin Sullivan/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
It's about time Newsom cracked the whip against local municipalities that haven't taken advantage of the billions the state has made available to tackle homelessness. Unfortunately, it might be too late for Newsom to get the worsening crisis under control after years of progressive leadership led the state to the point where there are many people living in the streets and many others evacuating over quality-of-life issues.
Democratic narrative
Newsom isn't instituting these policies to alleviate the homeless crisis as much as he's trying to show he can move to the right politically as he attempts to be a viable presidential candidate in 2028. His war on homeless people has done nothing but move them around and his latest policy will only make their lives more miserable. The state's homeless need more compassion from their chief executive.