Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Fresno Suspect Caught After Jumping Out of Second-Floor Window, 2 Others Arrested

14 hours ago

Tesla Has Applied to Arizona for Robotaxi Service Certification, State Transport Department Says

14 hours ago

Evacuations Ongoing as San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Scorches Tens of Thousands of Acres

14 hours ago

US Senate to Vote on Trump Aid, Broadcasting Cuts as Deadline Looms

14 hours ago

US Health Department Widens Immigrant Benefit Restrictions

15 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Stabbing That Left Man Critically Injured

15 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Seek Next of Kin for North Fork Man

15 hours ago

Froot Loops Maker WK Kellogg Agrees to $3.1 Billion Deal From Italy’s Ferrero

16 hours ago

China Signals Willingness to Sell Fighter Jets as Iran Eyes J-10 Aircraft

16 hours ago

Tulare County Man Arrested in Ivanhoe Shooting, Second Suspect Still at Large

16 hours ago
Opinion: Some Sober Advice on Homelessness
dan_walters
By Dan Walters, CalMatters Commentary
Published 4 years ago on
February 17, 2021

Share

A year ago, before COVID-19 changed everything, Gov. Gavin Newsom dedicated almost all of his State of the State address to one issue: homelessness.

“As Californians, we pride ourselves on our unwavering sense of compassion and justice for humankind,” Newsom told legislators, “but there’s nothing compassionate about allowing fellow Californians to live on the streets, huddled in cars or makeshift encampments. And there’s nothing just about sidewalks and street corners that aren’t safe and clean for everybody.

Dan Walters

Opinion

“The problem has persisted for decades — caused by massive failures in our mental health system and disinvestment in our social safety net — exacerbated by widening income inequality and California’s housing shortage. The hard truth is we ignored the problem.”

‘Out of Tents and Into Treatment’

Newsom pledged to attack the issue with money and “replace California’s scattershot approach with a coordinated crisis-level response.”

“We will be laser-focused on getting the mentally ill out of tents and into treatment,” Newsom promised. “We will provide stable funding to get sustainable results. We will tackle the underproduction of affordable housing in California. And we will do all of this with real accountability and consequences.”

A few weeks later, Newsom declared an emergency as COVID-19 attacked the state but with federal relief funds, he launched two programs, RoomKey to move a relative handful of street dwellers into hotel rooms, and HomeKey to provide some with more permanent housing. He often made personal appearances to tout their virtues.

With the state’s revenue picture much brighter than previously feared, Newsom’s 2021-22 budget proposes to expand services and facilities for the homeless.

State Watchdogs Voice Skepticism

However, the state’s two watchdogs, state Auditor Elaine Howle and Legislative Analyst Gabe Petek, have issued recent reports full of criticism and skepticism.

Taking a look at the past, Howle’s report declares:

“With more than 151,000 Californians who experienced homelessness in 2019, the state has the largest homeless population in the nation, but its approach to addressing homelessness is disjointed. At least nine state agencies administer and oversee 41 different programs that provide funding to mitigate homelessness, yet no single entity oversees the state’s efforts or is responsible for developing a statewide strategic plan.”

“As a result,” she adds, “the state continues to lack a comprehensive understanding of its spending to address homelessness, the specific services the programs provide, or the individuals who receive those services.”

Looking at the future, Petek’s analysis says:

“While the governor’s budget reflects his commitment to curbing homelessness by once again proposing significant state resources toward these issues, the governor’s response continues to focus on one-time solutions. As we have said previously, a clear, long-term strategy would make it more likely that the state’s investments would have a meaningful, ongoing impact on its housing and homelessness challenges.”

The similarity of the two critiques is obvious — a continuation of the “scattershot approach” Newsom promised to fix.

The two reports, Howle’s especially, also hint at a larger syndrome that afflicts California’s government — program proliferation.

Proliferation of State Agencies and Programs Dealing With Homelessness

When issues such as homelessness arise in the public consciousness, politicians often offer shiny new proposals to signify concern. Over time, the state becomes overloaded with agencies and programs that purport to deal with the same problem, but often overlap and compete for financing.

That’s how California wound up with nine agencies and 41 programs created to deal with homelessness while the underlying problem still festers.

The syndrome is visible in other areas as well, with job training and child care two very obvious examples. To politicians, doing something new may polish their images while fixing something old lacks political sex appeal.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

[activecampaign form=19]

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Some of Iran’s Enriched Uranium Survived Attacks, Israeli Official Says

DON'T MISS

Mahmoud Khalil Seeks $20 Million From Trump Administration Over Immigration Arrest

DON'T MISS

Madera County Authorities Seek Public’s Help Finding Next of Kin for Man Who Died in Hospital

DON'T MISS

Six Secret Service Agents Punished Over Trump Assassination Attempt

DON'T MISS

Fresno Teens Arrested in Violent Assaults That Injured Two Men, Including Elderly Victim

DON'T MISS

Wonderful Co. Has a New Face Promoting Pistachios: MVP Josh Allen

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Francisco Salvador Zuniga

DON'T MISS

Fire Damages Donations at Fresno Mission Thrift Store

DON'T MISS

Oil Falls Amid Bearish Trump Tariff Outlook

DON'T MISS

Higher Premiums and Lost Coverage: How Trump’s Budget Will Change Health Care in California

UP NEXT

Mahmoud Khalil Seeks $20 Million From Trump Administration Over Immigration Arrest

UP NEXT

Madera County Authorities Seek Public’s Help Finding Next of Kin for Man Who Died in Hospital

UP NEXT

Six Secret Service Agents Punished Over Trump Assassination Attempt

UP NEXT

Fresno Teens Arrested in Violent Assaults That Injured Two Men, Including Elderly Victim

UP NEXT

Wonderful Co. Has a New Face Promoting Pistachios: MVP Josh Allen

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Francisco Salvador Zuniga

UP NEXT

Fire Damages Donations at Fresno Mission Thrift Store

UP NEXT

Oil Falls Amid Bearish Trump Tariff Outlook

UP NEXT

Higher Premiums and Lost Coverage: How Trump’s Budget Will Change Health Care in California

UP NEXT

Fresno County Fire Destroys Structures, Contained at 20 Acres

Six Secret Service Agents Punished Over Trump Assassination Attempt

10 hours ago

Fresno Teens Arrested in Violent Assaults That Injured Two Men, Including Elderly Victim

10 hours ago

Wonderful Co. Has a New Face Promoting Pistachios: MVP Josh Allen

11 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Francisco Salvador Zuniga

12 hours ago

Fire Damages Donations at Fresno Mission Thrift Store

12 hours ago

Oil Falls Amid Bearish Trump Tariff Outlook

12 hours ago

Higher Premiums and Lost Coverage: How Trump’s Budget Will Change Health Care in California

13 hours ago

Fresno County Fire Destroys Structures, Contained at 20 Acres

13 hours ago

State Department Says Reorganization Plan Moving to Implementation

13 hours ago

Fresno Suspect Caught After Jumping Out of Second-Floor Window, 2 Others Arrested

14 hours ago

Some of Iran’s Enriched Uranium Survived Attacks, Israeli Official Says

WASHINGTON — Israel has concluded that some of Iran’s underground stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium survived American and Israel...

9 hours ago

9 hours ago

Some of Iran’s Enriched Uranium Survived Attacks, Israeli Official Says

Mahmoud Khalil speaks in an interview with Reuters in New York City, U.S., July 2, 2025. (Reuters File)
9 hours ago

Mahmoud Khalil Seeks $20 Million From Trump Administration Over Immigration Arrest

The Madera County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help locating the next of kin of Jeffrey Keith Cable, who died June 24, 2025, and whose family remains unidentified. (Madera County SO)
10 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Seek Public’s Help Finding Next of Kin for Man Who Died in Hospital

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump with his bloodied face is assisted by the Secret Service as multiple shots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. (AP File)
10 hours ago

Six Secret Service Agents Punished Over Trump Assassination Attempt

10 hours ago

Fresno Teens Arrested in Violent Assaults That Injured Two Men, Including Elderly Victim

11 hours ago

Wonderful Co. Has a New Face Promoting Pistachios: MVP Josh Allen

Francisco Salvador Zuniga is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for July 10, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
12 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Francisco Salvador Zuniga

A fire at the Fresno Mission Thrift Store on Thursday, July 10, 2025, damaged up to 30 pallets of donations, forced a road closure, and led to a temporary halt in operations, officials said. (Google Maps Screenshot)
12 hours ago

Fire Damages Donations at Fresno Mission Thrift Store

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend