Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday reportedly announced the creation of a new state task force aimed at dismantling sprawling homeless encampments across California’s largest cities, citing growing concerns over public safety and sanitation.
“No one should live in a dangerous or unsanitary encampment, and we will continue our ongoing work to ensure that everyone has a safe place to call home,” Newsom said in a statement.
He argued that California “has put in place a strong, comprehensive strategy for fighting the national homelessness and housing crises — and is outperforming the nation as a result in turning this issue around.”
The new initiative, known as the State Action for Facilitation on Encampments (SAFE) Task Force, will move in on encampments located on state rights-of-way in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Long Beach, Anaheim, Bakersfield and Fresno within the next 30 days.
The task force will draw on the resources of multiple state agencies, including California’s Office of Emergency Services, the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, California Health and Human Services, the California Highway Patrol, and the California State Transportation Agency.
Officials say their work will include clearing encampments while “coupling” enforcement with offers of shelter and services.
Newsom’s office noted that the governor signed an executive order last year directing state agencies to remove camps from state property after a Supreme Court ruling gave governments more authority to restrict encampments.
According to his office, California has spent more than $24 billion on homelessness programs since Newsom took office in 2019, a level of spending that has drawn criticism as the state’s homelessness crisis has visibly worsened during that time.
In its news release Friday, the governor’s office defended the new approach by drawing contrasts with former President Donald Trump. “Unlike the haphazard strategies employed by the Trump Administration, California’s SAFE Task Force brings together each of the tools created by Governor Newsom to clear encampments and connect people with the care they need,” the release said.
But the White House has defended Trump’s ongoing efforts to clear encampments in Washington, D.C., as part of a broader push to crack down on crime in the capital. “The homeless problem has ravaged the city,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this month. “Homeless individuals will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental health services, and if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time.”
Newsom, widely viewed as an early front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, has increasingly framed his policies as a direct challenge to Trump.
On Thursday, he announced plans to deploy “crime suppression teams” across the state, again drawing a contrast. “The President is doing things TO PEOPLE. California is doing it WITH PEOPLE,” Newsom wrote on X.
While the governor insists his policies represent a more humane approach, critics question whether years of expensive programs have produced results.
Even as Newsom promises a “comprehensive strategy,” the persistence of large, unsafe encampments suggests that California’s $24 billion investment has yet to deliver the turnaround he claims.
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