As Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes local governments to do more about removing homeless encampments across California, one of the state's own agencies is being accused of not doing enough to clear illegal campsites, writes CalMatters' Marisa Kendall.
On Monday the governor issued a "model ordinance" that cities and counties should use to clear encampments. These guidelines include banning persistent camping (or more than three days) in one location, banning encampments that block sidewalks and more. Newsom also said the state would release $3.3 billion to "communities statewide" to combat homelessness. The money comes from the $6.4 billion Proposition 1 that voters narrowly approved in March of last year.
Though the governor can't force local governments to adopt the ordinance, his request that they do so follows an executive order he issued last summer directing state agencies, including the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, to remove encampments. The agency is tasked to build and maintain highways, and spent more than $51 million addressing encampments in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
But city officials and staff say Caltrans still takes too long to sweep a camp, at times taking months to respond. In some extreme cases, camps remain for a year or two, said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
Because city workers, for the most part, are prohibited from going onto Caltrans property to clear camps themselves, the Legislature is considering a bill that would make it easier for the agency to cooperate with local governments.
The measure would require Caltrans to hire a liaison to work with cities and counties, and to arrange clear timelines when Caltrans should respond to a city's request to clear an encampment. It would also allow Caltrans to reimburse cities for when they use their own resources and personnel to clear encampments on Caltrans property.
The reimbursement provision is particularly popular among city officials: Mahan, for example, said it can cost as much as $100,000 to remove a long-standing encampment.
Read more about Newsom's new ordinance and the Caltrans bill from Marisa.