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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday to direct state agencies on how to remove homeless encampments, a month after a Supreme Court ruling allowing cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces.

Newsom’s order is aimed at the thousands of tents and makeshift shelters across the state that line freeways, clutter shopping center parking lots and fill city parks. The order makes clear that the decision to remove the encampments remains in local hands.

The order comes after a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this summer allowing cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces. The case was the most significant on the issue to come before the high court in decades and comes as cities across the country have wrestled with the politically complicated issue of how to deal with a rising number of people without a permanent place to live and public frustration over related health and safety issues.

Newsom’s administration wrote in support of cities’ argument that previous rulings, including one that barred San Francisco from clearing encampments until more shelter beds were available, have prevented the state from solving a critical problem.

“There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part,” Newsom said in a statement.

While Newsom cannot order local authorities to act, his administration can apply pressure by withholding money for counties and cities.

California is home to roughly one-third of the nation’s population of homeless people, a problem that has dogged Newsom since he took office. Newsom touted that his administration has spent roughly $24 billion aimed at cleaning up streets and housing people but acknowledged the stubbornness of the issue. Newsom’s administration has also come under fire recently after a state audit found that the state didn’t consistently track whether the huge outlay of public money actually improved the situation.

Newsom has worked hard to address the issue. He threw all of his political weight behind a ballot measure earlier this year to allow the state to borrow nearly $6.4 billion to build 4,350 housing units, which passed with a razor-thin margin.

The order comes as Republicans have stepped up their criticisms of California and its homelessness crisis as Vice President Kamala Harris — a former California district attorney, attorney general and senator — launches her presidential campaign. Harris entered the race over the weekend after President Joe Biden’s announced that he would not seek reelection. Newsom himself has presidential ambitions.

The timing of the executive order is “curious,” said California political analyst Brian Sobel, but he doubts Newsom’s move would have much impact on Harris’ campaign.

“Harris’ problem isn’t in California, because California is a done deal,” he said. “Where she needs to do well on issues like this are in swing states.”

Rather, the order is a logical step for Newsom, who called himself the state’s “homeless czar” and made homelessness a signature policy issue the last few years, said Wesley Hussey, a political science professor at California State University, Sacramento.

“I don’t think it’s being motivated by the presidential race as much as it’s definitely something that Newsom cared a lot about,” Hussey said. “If you’re going to put it in a political context of the election, this isn’t going to magically fix the problem.”

Newsom’s decision have garnered praises from local elected officials and business groups, who said they were left with no options to address homeless encampments before the Supreme Court’s ruling. San Francisco Mayor London Breed recently said the city will start an “aggressive” campaign to clear encampments across the city in August. Her office noted that the governor’s order does not affect the city’s operations.

“I applaud Governor Newsom’s emphasis on urgency,” Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors said in a statement. “He rightfully points out that local government remains at the helm of homeless encampment removals. Cities have an obligation to develop housing and shelter solutions in tandem with support services provided by County government.”

Homeless people and their advocates say the sweeps are cruel and a waste of taxpayer money. They say the answer is more housing, not crackdowns.

Under Newsom’s direction, state agencies — including state parks and department of transportation — would be required to prioritize clearing encampments that pose safety risks, such as those camping along waterways. Officials should give advance notice to vacate, connect homeless people to local services and help store their belongings for at least 60 days. Local cities and counties are urged to adopt similar protocols.

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Originally posted by konata88:
Let the populace who favor this and avoid the root cause feel the full brunt of their ideology.

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Originally posted by HRK:
Question is, what will they do with these people once they start shutting down tent cities, it's not like these folks have $300K down payments and credit for a million dollar loan, or qualify for a $3000 a month one bedroom apartment.

Are they going to pay to put them in hotels like the Mayor of New York City. Even if they started some CA Residents low income construction program it would take several years to get the property, clean it up, build and open.

Or take a page from the Texas Playbook and start putting them on busses to San Antonio, Dallas, Tulsa, you can't trust the CA politicians and they certainly won't send them back over the border to Mexico.

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Why not set up tent cities outside of town, out in the desert?

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Originally posted by TSE:

Why not set up tent cities outside of town, out in the desert? Move them there, and get them away from the city population. Those that don't like it will move away. They don't need to be in hotels.

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Originally posted by HRK:
Question is, what will they do with these people once they start shutting down tent cities, it's not like these folks have $300K down payments and credit for a million dollar loan, or qualify for a $3000 a month one bedroom apartment.

Are they going to pay to put them in hotels like the Mayor of New York City. Even if they started some CA Residents low income construction program it would take several years to get the property, clean it up, build and open.

Or take a page from the Texas Playbook and start putting them on busses to San Antonio, Dallas, Tulsa, you can't trust the CA politicians and they certainly won't send them back over the border to Mexico.

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Originally posted by synthplayer:

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Originally posted by konata88:
Let the populace who favor this and avoid the root cause feel the full brunt of their ideology. Let them continue to vote for this. Votes have consequences. Let them know what they are.

My wife works in the city and occasionally has discussions with coworkers who live there. They see absolutely no correlation between the leadership of the city and the condition that it is currently in. If someone suggests that the city's horrible condition is the fault of leadership decisions, they'll laugh and tell you you're mistaken.

If I had a voice with the homeless, I'd assure them after the election everything will go back to "normal."

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Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
My prediction: a week or so after the election, and before Christmas,he will rescind the EO because it is cruel and unfair.

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Originally posted by Russ59:
Didn't Gavin get the memo that they nominated Madam VP Harris to be the Dem nominee? I think he's looking for favorable headlines so that when people Google his name running up to the 2028 elections, these types of articles will pop up instead of the steady stream of dumpster-fire articles about CA's piss poor management of the self-inflicted homeless problem.

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Originally posted by synthplayer:

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Originally posted by nhracecraft:
What do her 'coworkers' say is the cause of deplorable conditions (and homelessness!) in San Francisco then? Or do they just laugh, and walk away?

"It's just what happens sometimes - it has nothing to do with leadership." And, seriously, I'm not being hyperbolic when I say this, if you attempt to show them the cause and effect or try to persuade them to see anything in a different light that they see it now, they will get angry. The better your argument - the more sense you make with irrefutable evidence, the level of rage will be higher. That's why she and I just keep our mouths shut - just as we would if we were mistakenly placed in an insane asylum.