California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a contentious executive order on Thursday to remove homeless encampments after the Supreme Court's decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which criminalized homelessness.
The New Republic reported that this directive has elicited mixed reactions from local officials and sparked concerns over the treatment of homeless individuals.
The Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in June on the case of Grants Pass v. Johnson, a decision that has significant implications for homeless individuals.
For years, cities were mandated to provide shelter and ensure available beds before clearing encampments. The new ruling, however, negates this requirement, thereby criminalizing homelessness.
California, housing almost one-third of the U.S. homeless population, felt the immediate impact of the ruling. The state has about 180,000 homeless individuals but only around 70,000 beds available, exemplifying the logistical and ethical challenges posed by the court's decision.
Governor Newsom, in response to this decision, issued an executive order urging immediate removal of encampments. “We are done. It’s time to move with urgency to clean up these sites,” Newsom declared, emphasizing the need to carry out the cleanups with “urgency and dignity.”
Newsom instructed state agencies to follow the Caltrans encampment policy which has resolved over 11,000 encampments since 2021. This policy demands that personal property cleared from encampments be stored temporarily, although there have been complaints about the difficulty of retrieving these belongings.
With the executive order in place, private contractors stand to gain financially, potentially earning millions from clearing encampments. This aspect of the order has raised concerns about profiteering at the expense of the homeless population’s welfare.
Homeless advocates and unhoused individuals alike feared the enforcement of this directive. They worried it would further stigmatize and criminalize homelessness in light of the Supreme Court's recent ruling.
Responses from local government officials varied widely following Newsom’s order. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass voiced her concerns, stating that the ruling should not serve as an excuse to criminalize homelessness further or shift the problem to neighboring cities or jails. Her stance emphasized a more humane approach to addressing homelessness.
Conversely, San Francisco Mayor London Breed expressed strong support for the ruling. “The city plans to be very aggressive and assertive in moving encampments,” Breed stated, aligning with the court’s tougher stance.
In a more extreme reaction, Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris backed the aggressive removal of encampments unequivocally. “I’m warming up the bulldozer,” Parris declared, indicating a readiness to take drastic measures.
California's homelessness crisis is a long-standing and complex issue. Housing nearly one-third of all homeless individuals in the U.S., the state grapples with finding sustainable and humane solutions.
The Supreme Court’s ruling and subsequent executive order by Governor Newsom have added an extra layer of complexity. Prior to the ruling, the legal requirement to provide shelter before clearing encampments offered some protection to those living in these conditions.
Now, with the removal of this requirement, there are fears that the humanitarian needs of homeless individuals will be overlooked. The lack of sufficient shelter beds only exacerbates these concerns.
Moving forward, California faces significant challenges in balancing the enforcement of the Supreme Court’s ruling while ensuring the rights and dignity of homeless individuals are upheld. Newsom's call for urgency reflects the pressure on state and local officials to address public health concerns related to encampments.
Despite the clear directives, uncertainty remains. It is unclear if all localities will fully comply with Newsom's order, especially as officials like Mayor Bass stand reluctant to align with the court’s tougher stance.
As California navigates this complex landscape, the debate over homelessness policy is likely to intensify. The divergent responses from city leaders highlight the lack of consensus on the best approach to tackle the crisis.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order for the removal of homeless encampments in California, following the Supreme Court's decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, has sparked a myriad of reactions.
This directive abolishes the prior requirement for cities to provide shelters before clearing encampments, raising concerns about the treatment of homeless individuals.
Local officials’ responses have varied, with some opposing the aggressive measures while others support stringent enforcement. As California grapples with this new policy landscape, the challenge of addressing homelessness with dignity remains critical.
