Gavin Newsom Moves to Clear California's Homeless Encampments

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has drawn up a template local ordinance for the state's local governments to help them clear and ban the homeless encampments that have popped up in recent years.

Newsom cannot force the adoption of his ordinance, but he can use the carrot of billions of dollars in state funding for housing issues to encourage cities to take it on. He vowed to crack down on encampments last year.

Why it Matters

The humanitarian costs of homelessness are self-evident, and there is a pressing need to help the large number of vulnerable people living on the streets, often struggling with multiple health issues, such as addiction.

But the issue of homelessness has also become a political liability for Democrats in California and elsewhere, with their Republican opponents drawing attention to striking images of the shabby encampments that sprang up under the party's governance.