By: Jayden Park
Governor Newsom has been under fire from Republican Senators in California for posting on X about the impact of his recent homeless-reduction initiatives. In his post, he mentioned that “California has dramatically slowed and reduced the growth of homelessness” going as far as to say that his administration is “making more progress than a majority of other states [and] the nation as a whole.” He also attaches an image with a percent statistic, reading that 18.1% of the national population is unsheltered while only 3.1% of those in California are homeless.
Since the post aired, Newsom has faced backlash for a variety of reasons, but the most common objection is that his post was misleading. Given that it’s already hard to track the homeless population, which rely on statistics that may not account for seasonal changes, temporary shelters, or individuals living in less visible circumstances, critics argue that it is a bold statement for the governor to share California’s homeless statistics. They also add that it is “too early” to celebrate his progress and Newsom is “tossing tiny fixes.”
However, the Newsom administration fired back against criticisms. Newsom’s office posted that “given the sheer population size of California, to talk about homelessness without any of the broader context or how this administration’s efforts compare to the prior is a disservice to Californians, plain and simple.” Because California has the largest population in the U.S., and addressing issues like homelessness requires taking this scale into account; knowing this, the administration implies that any conversation about homelessness that ignores California’s size is inherently incomplete or misleading. They also suggest that the criticism may be too narrow, overlooking initiatives like Prop 1, Care Court, Homekey, and the most recent BH-connect waiver. However, it appears that the criticism towards the administration is not about the lack of effort, just that Newsom’s premature celebration is unwarranted. The administration also add that California’s homelessness is lower than New York, Florida, Illinois and Texas under Newsom, which was not the case when the previous governor Gov. Edmund “Jerry” Brown was in office.
References:
1. Kendall, M. (2025, April 18). What happens after a homeless person is arrested for camping? Often, not much. LAist | CalMatters. https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/what-happens-after-a-homeless-person-is-arrested-for-camping-often-not-much
2. City of Fresno. (n.d.). Housing and homelessness: Local services & housing options. https://www.fresno.gov/citymanager/housing-and-homelessness/#local-services-&-housing-options