California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a wide-reaching plan to tackle the state’s severe homelessness crisis that would direct hundreds of cities, towns and counties to effectively ban tent camping on sidewalks and parks, according to a statement released early Monday, May 12.
“The Governor is calling on every local government to adopt and implement local policies without delay,” the statement says.
The move comes as the state prepares for a surge of funding for homelessness and mental health after voters approved a multi-billion-dollar bond measure in November, and after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2024 that opened the door to arresting and fining individuals for sleeping in public spaces.
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The ordinance prohibits encampments that block free passage on sidewalks and in persistent locations, and includes a requirement that local officials provide advanced notice and alternate shelter to people in encampments prior to clearing them, according to the statement.
The model ordinance is not a flat directive, giving local municipalities a guideline and an effective choice to implement the policies. The template will be provided to every community as a “starting point,” the statement says, so jurisdictions can tailor it.
California is the nation’s most populous state and is home to a significant portion of the country’s homeless individuals. Nearly a quarter of all unhoused Americans live in California, according to federal data and local studies.
The two-term governor will join California Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Johnson, the Director of the California Department of Health Care Services Michelle Baass and unnamed mental health leaders at 1 p.m. PT, according to a news release.
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The event, which will be livestreamed across the governor’s social media pages, is an “announcement regarding his administration’s continued transformation of behavioral health services supporting California’s seriously ill and homeless populations,” the release says.
“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,” Newsom said in the statement. “Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity — the courts delivered. 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.”
This story has been updated with new information.
Kathryn Palmer is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom new homeless plan to ban tent camping
