Newsom Issues Executive Order for State Officials to Remove Homeless Encampments

Directive from Sacramento Comes in Response to Supreme Court Decision Giving More Authority to Local Leaders

A homeless camp at the Garden Street off-ramp in Santa Barbara in 2021 | Credit: City of Santa Barbara

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Thursday allowing state officials to take action toward dismantling homeless encampments. The order comes in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling that expanded local government authority to remove homeless people from their streets, citing that encampment removal does not violate the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Homelessness has long troubled California, the state with the highest median home price in the nation. The state’s estimated homeless population of 180,000 makes up roughly one-third of the nation’s total. According to the 2024 Santa Barbara County point-in-time count — an annual census that takes a snapshot of people experiencing homelessness — an estimated 2,119 people were experiencing homelessness in the county, a 12 percent increase from the 2023 count. Of those without homes in Santa Barbara County, the county findings show that 1,332 were unsheltered.

Newsom’s order is the most sweeping response to the Supreme Court ruling, which allows cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces. “No more excuses,” the Governor wrote on social media Thursday morning. “We’ve provided the time. We’ve provided the funds. Now it’s time for locals to do their job.”

Gov. Newsom, who calls himself the state’s “homeless czar,” has made the topic a signature policy issue during his term. His administration has spent roughly $24 billion on various programs to address the crisis, including $3.5 billion to convert rundown motels into homeless housing. In a ballot measure earlier this year, which Newsom threw all of his political weight behind, the state was allowed to borrow $6.4 billion to build 4,350 housing units. “It is time to move with urgency at the local level to clean up these sites,” Newsom stated in a video posted to social media.

Homeless advocates claim that sweeps are cruel and a waste of taxpayer money, insisting that the solution is rooted in more housing, not in cracking down.

Prioritizing areas that most threaten health and safety, Gov. Newsom called on state and local leaders to “humanely remove encampments from public spaces,” such as those camping along waterways. In Santa Maria, most of the individuals experiencing homelessness live in the riverbed, with estimates identifying roughly 120 individuals along the water. Yet only a portion of the riverbed population lies within Santa Barbara County, with the majority lying across the boundary in San Luis Obispo county, making it difficult to provide services.

While the governor cannot order local authorities to act, his administration can apply pressure by withholding money for cities and counties across California. Officials, Newsom directed, should give notice to vacate, connect homeless campers to local services, and help store their belongings for at least 60 days.