Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California Homelessness Crisis Will Haunt Newsom in Debate With DeSantis
gvw_calmatters
By CalMatters
Published 2 years ago on
August 8, 2023

Share

After exchanging long-distance insults for months, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will supposedly have a face-to-face debate some place and some time in the fall.

Dan Walters with a serious expression

Dan Walters

CalMatters

Opinion

DeSantis is trying to gain traction as a Republican candidate for president in 2024 while Newsom is trying to establish himself as a national Democratic Party leader with potential White House ambitions circa 2028. Each portrays his state as a model of governance for the nation to emulate.

If it happens – and it’s not certain, given squabbling over details – a Newsom-DeSantis debate would be the political equivalent of another clash of overstimulated egos, the cage match between two tech tycoons Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

While Newsom seems to be the glibber of the two, and thus is favored by media handicappers to out-talk his rival, the California governor has one enormous albatross sitting on his shoulder: his state’s ever-worsening homelessness crisis – and he knows it.

When Newsom was interviewed by Fox News talk show host Sean Hannity in June – an appearance where debating DeSantis was first suggested – he was forced to acknowledge the seeming intractability of his state’s homelessness disaster.

“The state has not made progress in the last two decades as it relates to homelessness,” the California governor said flatly.

“Because housing costs are too high,” Newsom replied as Hannity pressed him for reasons. “Our regulatory thickets are too problematic. Localism has been too impactful, meaning people locally are pushing back against new housing starts and construction.”

Hannity contrasted California’s more than 171,000 homeless people with Florida’s 26,000 and Newsom replied, “Of course, not even comparable.”

“The dynamics are very different,” Newsom continued, without explaining them. “That said, we own this, Sean. I’m not here defending this.”

$20 Billion Spent on Homelessness Since Newsom Became Governor

A few weeks later, California got another indication that homelessness is continuing to expand even though state and local governments have spent and are spending billions of dollars on efforts to reduce it – nearly $20 billion by the state alone since Newsom became governor.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which was created to find solutions to the crisis, released its latest count of people living on the streets.

“This year, we estimate that 75,518 people experience homelessness on any given night in Los Angeles County, and 46,260 people do so in the city of Los Angeles,” the authority said. The number of homeless people rose 9% in Los Angeles County, as a whole, over the 2022 count, and 10% within the city.

“Last year, it appeared that the curve of homelessness growth started to flatten, but we’re back to seeing a trajectory that mirrored previous years,” the authority’s report acknowledged.

Since the 2015 count, homelessness has increased by 70% in the county and 80% in the city, and the crisis has an inescapable racial aspect. While Black people make up just 9% of Los Angeles County’s population, they represent 32% of the county’s homeless population with Latinos another 43%.

Obviously, homelessness is an immense human tragedy, but it also is a political liability not only for Newsom but other figures, such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who won her position last year on a promise to solve it. It bears an uncanny resemblance to Newsom’s promise two decades ago, when he was the mayor of San Francisco, that he would end homelessness in 10 years.

DeSantis wants his debate with Newsom to begin with videos of each governor making his case. If that happens, we can expect DeSantis’ video to feature the ever-spreading squalor of California’s homeless encampments.

About the Author

Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. He began his professional career in 1960, at age 16, at the Humboldt Times. CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more columns by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

Make Your Voice Heard

GV Wire encourages vigorous debate from people and organizations on local, state, and national issues. Submit your op-ed to rreed@gvwire.com for consideration. 

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

Life-Threatening Meals: Restaurants Would Identify Food Allergens for Diners Under This Proposed Law

DON'T MISS

Iran Threatens to Strike US Bases in Region if Military Conflict Arises

DON'T MISS

Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades

DON'T MISS

Fresno Measure C Transportation Tax Talks Continue Amid Renewal Uncertainty

DON'T MISS

Judge Bars Trump Administration From Detaining Mahmoud Khalil

DON'T MISS

Is a Waxed Apple ‘Ultra-Processed?’ CA Bill Could Trigger a Lawsuit Barrage

DON'T MISS

Edmunds: These Five Vehicles Are Hidden Automotive Gems

DON'T MISS

GM to Invest $4 Billion to Shift Some Production From Mexico to the US

DON'T MISS

How Your Air Conditioner Can Help the Power Grid, Rather Than Overloading It

DON'T MISS

Hundreds of Laid-off CDC Employees Are Being Reinstated

UP NEXT

Fresno Measure C Transportation Tax Talks Continue Amid Renewal Uncertainty

UP NEXT

Is a Waxed Apple ‘Ultra-Processed?’ CA Bill Could Trigger a Lawsuit Barrage

UP NEXT

This Israeli Government Is a Danger to Jews Everywhere

UP NEXT

Justice Department to Take Narrow Approach to Prosecuting Corporate Bribery Abroad

UP NEXT

California Is a Donor State, but Can It Stop Sending Its Tax Dollars to DC?

UP NEXT

Water Scarcity Is Forcing Tough Decisions. This Legislation Can Keep Our Family Farm Afloat

UP NEXT

Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill to Ban Teaching Antisemitism in Arizona’s Public Schools

UP NEXT

Elon Musk Backs Off From Feud With Trump, Saying He Regrets Social Media Posts That ‘Went Too Far’

UP NEXT

Trump Hails Favorable Federal Appeals Court Ruling on His Sweeping Tariff Policy as a ‘Great’ Win

UP NEXT

California Governor Says ‘Democracy Is Under Assault’ by Trump as Feds Intervene in LA Protests

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Daniel Richard Orozco

30 minutes ago

US to Pull Some Personnel From the Middle East Amid Rising Tensions With Iran

43 minutes ago

Judge in Harvey Weinstein Trial Declares Mistrial on Rape Charge

57 minutes ago

What to Know About ‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump’s Policies on Saturday

1 hour ago

Most G7 Members Ready to Lower Russian Oil Price Cap Without US

1 hour ago

Republicans in Congress Set to Grill Democratic Governors on Immigration

1 hour ago

US Files Lawsuit Against New York for Blocking Immigration Officials Near Court

1 hour ago

Motorcyclist Killed in Crash on Highway 180 in Sequoia National Forest Identified

1 hour ago

Marines Prepare for Los Angeles Deployment as Protests Spread Across US

2 hours ago

Boeing Shares Drop as Air India Crash Revives Safety Concerns

2 hours ago

UN Says Full Internet Blackout in Gaza, Paralyzing Aid Operations

(Reuters) – The United Nations said on Thursday that there was a full internet blackout in the Gaza Strip, likely due to military acti...

3 minutes ago

The United Nations headquarters building is pictured with a UN logo in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/ File Photo
3 minutes ago

UN Says Full Internet Blackout in Gaza, Paralyzing Aid Operations

President Donald Trump signs a resolution at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/ File Photo
22 minutes ago

Trump Says He Won’t Fire Fed’s Powell but ‘May Have to Force Something’ on Rates

Fresno police are seeking two suspects who stole several boxes of shoes from the WSS store on East Cesar Chavez Boulevard on February 20, 2025.
26 minutes ago

Fresno Police to Crack Down on Distracted Driving in Friday Operation

Daniel Richard Orozco is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for June 12, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
30 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Daniel Richard Orozco

Armored vehicles belonging to Iraqi security forces are stationed outside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone, Iraq, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad/File Photo
43 minutes ago

US to Pull Some Personnel From the Middle East Amid Rising Tensions With Iran

Former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan Criminal Court for his retrial on rape and sexual assault charges in New York City, U.S., June 12, 2025. Jefferson Siegel/Pool via REUTERS
57 minutes ago

Judge in Harvey Weinstein Trial Declares Mistrial on Rape Charge

People take part in the "No Kings Day" protest on Presidents Day in Washington, in support of federal workers and against recent actions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, by the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana,File)
1 hour ago

What to Know About ‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump’s Policies on Saturday

Russian flag with stock graph and an oil pump jack miniature model are seen in this illustration taken October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo
1 hour ago

Most G7 Members Ready to Lower Russian Oil Price Cap Without US

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

Search

Send this to a friend