Gov. Gavin Newsom is ordering California officials to dismantle homeless encampments across the state via an executive order.
Newsom announced the initiative on Thursday, with his office stating that the governor has ordered “state agencies and departments to adopt clear policies that urgently address homeless encampments while respecting the dignity and well-being of all Californians.”
“This executive order directs state agencies to move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them — and provides guidance for cities and counties to do the same,” Newsom said in a statement.
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“The state has been hard at work to address this crisis on our streets,” he added. “There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.”
The order is expected to affect tens of thousands of homeless Californians who have set up long-term encampments and occupied entire city blocks with open-air drug use.
The governor’s office has emphasized that individuals living in targeted encampments will be notified ahead of time.
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The statement from Newsom’s office said that the executive order “directs state agencies and departments to adopt humane and dignified policies to urgently address encampments on state property, including by taking necessary and deliberate steps to notify and support the people inhabiting the encampment prior to removal.”
The governor claims that this initiative was spurred by the Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson last month, which found laws restricting sleeping in public areas did not violate the constitutional restriction against “cruel and unusual punishment.”
The decision, which is expected to facilitate other anti-encampment policies in cities across the country, was made by a 6-to-3 vote along ideological lines.
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.
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