In a powerful press release that they pushed in the wake of Governor Gavin Newsom’s somewhat surprising announcement that he would be taking action via state agencies to clear up the homeless encampments for which California has sadly become known, the California Senate Republicans obliterated him for what they said was a “PR stunt.”
Beginning, they described the action Gov. Newsom took, saying, “Today, Governor Newsom issued an executive order directing state agencies to begin the process of clearing homeless encampments from state lands and urging local governments to follow suit. This order is similar to previous efforts California Republican legislators have made on the issue over the last several years.”
Adding that they had already attempted to deal with the matter but California Democrats rejected it, they added, “Senate Bill 1011, introduced by Jones and all Senate Republicans this February, was a bipartisan effort that would have gone even further in compassionately clearing homeless encampments but was rejected by Democrats in the Senate Committee on Public Safety.”
Further, they noted that Governor Newsom and California Democrats have done their best to stymie other bills that would have dealt with the homeless encampment issues, saying, “Senate Republicans have introduced a host of bills in recent years to address the rampant and ever-growing California homeless crisis but have been met largely with resistance from Newsom and legislative Democrats.”
California Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, commenting on Gov. Newsom’s recent announcement, said, “It’s about damn time! Letting people live and die on the streets or in our parks is unsafe and unsanitary.” He continued, “I introduced a proposal earlier this year that would have provided even greater and more immediate solutions.”
State Sen. Jones then added that he is somewhat optimistic about recent action, but still sees this as a PR matter. He said, “While I am cautiously optimistic that the governor has finally taken note of the urgency of this problem, albeit many years later than needed, Californians deserve government for the people, not the PR hits.”
On the same matter, Sen. Roger Niello noted that the homeless encampment issue is a major one for the state and major action is needed, arguing, “Homelessness is one of the biggest challenges we face today and it is imperative we take swift, decisive and effective action to address it.” He noted that Gov. Newsom will need to keep an eye on the agencies and follow through with the announcement, saying, “The executive order is a good step but it will require significant follow through to ensure its effectiveness.”
The press release added, putting Sen. Niello’s remarks in context, “Senator Niello has championed homelessness policies since arriving in the Senate in 2022 and has advocated heavily for accountability in homeless program funding. To date, the Newsom administration has spent over $24 billion to address homelessness but a state audit requested by Senator Niello and Republican Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) last year revealed that funding has been largely ineffective and much of it is unaccounted for.”
Watch Newsom address the issue here:
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