TZUTC: -0700   
   MSGID: 599.fidonet_all-politics@1:218/601 2c8a6dbe   
   PID: Synchronet 3.20a-Win32 master/15ff30dbc Oct  7 2023 MSC 1916   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.20-Win32 master/15ff30dbc Oct  7 2023 MSC 1916   
   BBSID: THEWASTE   
   CHRS: UTF-8 4   
   California Gov. Gavin Newsom released details about his multibillion-dollar   
   plan to tackle the homeless crisis in the Golden State and is pushing cities   
   and counties to take "immediate action."    
      
   On Monday, Newsom shared a model ordinance for cities and counties to   
   "immediately address dangerous and unhealthy encampments and connect people   
   experiencing homelessness with shelter and services."   
      
   "There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,"   
   Newsom said in a news release.   
      
   "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. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses,"   
   California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.   
      
   The ordinance is backed in part by $3.3 billion in new Prop 1 funding, Newsom's   
   office announced, adding that the governor is "calling on all local governments   
   to act without delay."    
      
   Newsom is also encouraging local leaders to use their authority, affirmed by   
   the U.S. Supreme Court, to address encampments.   
      
   "The Governor is calling on every local government to adopt and implement local   
   policies without delay," Newsom's office said.   
      
   Newsom's office said this model ordinance draws from the state’s "proven and   
   workable approach," an approach that between July 2021 and May 2025 cleared   
   more than 16,000 encampments and more than 311,873 cubic yards of debris from   
   sites along the state right-of-way.   
      
   "These results demonstrate that the policy is both effective and scalable,   
   offering a sound, adoptable framework for jurisdictions to resolve encampments   
   with urgency and dignity," Newsom said.    
      
   Monday's announcement is in addition to the release of $3.3 billion in   
   voter-approved Proposition 1 funding, which Newsom's office said will be made   
   available later today to communities statewide.   
      
   Those funds are being used to expand behavioral health housing and treatment   
   options for the "most seriously ill and homeless in California."   
      
   "This model ordinance is not intended to be comprehensive or to impose a   
   one-size-fits-all approach for every city. Tailoring is expected and   
   appropriate to account for local differences and priorities," Newsom's office   
   said.    
      
   The guidance doesn’t say whether criminal penalties should be enforced but   
   instead would leave it up to cities to enforce how severely those who violate   
   the ban should be punished.   
      
      
   Newsom's office said all local approaches should reflect three basic   
   principles, which include:   
      
   No person should face criminal punishment for sleeping outside when they have   
   nowhere else to go.   
   Encampment policies must prioritize shelter and services and ensure that people   
   experiencing homelessness and their belongings are treated with respect.   
   Policies must not unduly limit local authorities to clear encampments, meaning   
   officials must be able to enforce "commonsense policies" to protect the health   
   and safety of their residents and maintain their public spaces.   
   Newsom's announcement comes following the Supreme Court's decision in Grants   
   Pass v. Johnson in 2024, which found laws restricting sleeping in public areas   
   did not violate the constitutional restriction against "cruel and unusual   
   punishment."   
      
   Newsom had encouraged the Supreme Court to take up the case, claiming court   
   decisions preventing the government from punishing vagrants occupying public   
   spaces had created an "unsurmountable roadblock" to addressing the crisis.   
      
   Newsom's office told Fox News Digital that the governor has "actively held   
   communities accountable who do not follow state law to address homelessness",   
   sharing an example of when the state sued the City of Norwalk in 2024 for "its   
   unlawful ban on homeless shelters."   
      
   The governor's office added that while the nation’s unsheltered homelessness   
   last year went up by nearly 7%, California’s increase was only 0.45% and was   
   lower than 44 other states.   
      
   "Governor Newsom is the first governor to actively address this issue in our   
   state, and he is reversing a crisis that was decades in the making," Newsom's   
   office said.    
      
   In addition to cleaning up homeless encampments, Newsom's office also announced   
   $3.3 billion in grant funding to create over 5,000 residential treatment beds   
   and more than 21,800 outpatient treatment slots for behavioral healthcare   
   services.   
      
   "Californians demanded swift action to address our state’s behavioral health   
   crisis when they voted for Prop 1 in March 2024," Newsom's office said.   
      
   "Today, we’re delivering our biggest win yet. These launch-ready projects   
   will build and expand residential beds and treatment slots for those who need   
   help. Whether it’s crisis stabilization, inpatient services, or long-term   
   treatment, we’re ensuring that individuals can access the right care at the   
   right time," the statement continued.   
      
   When fully awarded, Newsom's office said funding from Proposition 1 bonds is   
   estimated to create 6,800 residential treatment beds and 26,700 outpatient   
   treatment slots for behavioral health and will build on other major behavioral   
   health initiatives in California.   
      
   "Today marks a critical milestone in our commitment to transforming   
   California’s behavioral health system," said Kim Johnson, secretary of the   
   California Health and Human Services Agency. "Through these awards, we are   
   investing in bold, community-driven solutions that expand access to care,   
   promote equity, and meet people where they are. These projects are a reflection   
   of our values and vision for a healthier, more compassionate California."   
      
   Newsom's office also said the Department of Housing and Community Development   
   will oversee up to $2 billion in Proposition 1 funds to build permanent   
   supportive housing for veterans and others who are homeless or at risk of   
   homelessness and have mental health or substance-use disorder challenges.   
      
   "This is a generational investment in California’s behavioral health future.   
   We are not just building facilities. We are building hope, dignity, and   
   pathways to healing for thousands of Californians," said Michelle Baass,   
   director of the state Department of Health Care Services, in a statement.   
      
      
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