Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., plans to urge California cities to ban homeless encampments on public property, including sidewalks and parks. California has about half of the nation’s unsheltered homeless population, with a record 187,000 of such individuals reported last year.
A recent poll indicated that nearly 40% of California residents support arresting such individuals who refuse shelter options. Newsom’s initiative is backed by more than $3 billion in state housing funds intended to support local enforcement of the encampment ban.
