Newsom Unveils Model Ordinance to Ban Homeless Encampments in California
- Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a model ordinance on May 12, 2025, urging California cities to ban and clear homeless encampments statewide.
- This effort follows rising homelessness nationally and in California, which houses a quarter of the US homeless population with more than 187,000 people needing housing.
- The ordinance prohibits persistent camping and blocks on sidewalks, accompanies $3.3 billion in grants for mental health and substance use treatment facilities, and aims to coordinate local enforcement.
- While some officials praise early progress and clearer guidelines, critics warn enforcement-heavy policies risk criminalizing homeless people without addressing root causes.
- Newsom’s directive intensifies statewide efforts to reduce encampments but highlights ongoing tensions and the need for sustained housing and social service investments.
213 Articles
213 Articles


Editorial: Will Newsom’s call to roust homeless people in California help anyone besides him?
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement that California cities and counties need “to take urgent action” to remove homeless encampments from public spaces is the highest level of endorsement for a proven failure of a tactic. It’s also a stunning example of…
Editorial | What to make of latest state demand on removing encampments?
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s has issued another decree that cities and counties need to ban and remove homeless encampments from sidewalks, bike paths, highway underpasses and other public property. On Monday, Newsom released a model ordinance that cities and counties can adopt to prohibit and clear homeless camps. While jurisdictions aren’t required to approve the measure, it’s the latest move by the governor to place responsibility for alleviating the …
San Jose mayor endorses Newsom's push to illegalize encampments - San José Spotlight
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to ban homeless encampments across California, echoing San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s goal to end the era of tents and camps lining city streets, parks and waterways. In Newsom’s proposal announced Monday, he laid out a blueprint for cities to make it illegal to camp on public property for more than three consecutive nights, to prohibit sitting, sleeping or lying on sidewalks and streets that would hinder passage and to make…
Will California Go Forward or Backward on Homelessness? - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Not long ago, I visited a public park in San Francisco and witnessed a most astonishing thing: The park was orderly, lots of kids were playing, the public bathrooms were clean and there wasn’t a homeless person — let alone an open-air drug market — in view. Outside of a few neighborhoods, San Francisco has never been as tawdry as its detractors alleged, but there have been plenty of signs of unchecked panhandling and disorde…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
Ownership
To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage