Local officials along Los Angeles County’s Coast striving to ease the plight of the homeless are working to assess last week’s unexpected edict from the governor’s office urging that communities clear their streets of “problematic encampments.” The executive order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom — imploring cities across the massive state to take more action to resolve homeless encampments within their borders — has been met with some criticism from local government leaders and advocates, who cited concerns about how the change might impact existing strategies to address the issue across the Southland.
The order, issued Thursday, cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Grants Pass v.
Johnson case — which gave cities the right to enforce anti-camping laws and enforce bans on sleeping in public places. The order, according to a statement from Newsom’s office, asks cities to develop “humane and dignified policies” to address the prevalence of homeless encampments within their jurisdictions. “The state has been hard at work to address this crisis on our streets,” Newsom said.
“There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.” But for some cities across the county, including in the South Bay, Newsom’s executive order was received with mixed reviews .
Long Beach — among the largest cities in the region with a sizable population of unhoused people — said in a Thursday statement that much of the city’s exis.