When asked by pollsters, Californians repeatedly rate homelessness as one of their top concerns — and for good reason.
This year’s federal count of Californians who lack housing neared 186,000, by far the most of any state and about 5,000 people higher than the previous year.
Gavin Newsom began his governorship six years ago with many promises of decisive action on major issues, among them housing and homelessness . He pledged to appoint a homelessness czar to attack the crisis, and he and the Legislature allocated billions of dollars.
A 2023 report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office pegged direct spending by four state agencies since Newsom became governor at $20 billion, but didn’t include spending by other agencies or local governments. The state’s auditor, Grant Parks, cited $24 billion by nine state agencies in a report last spring that castigated Newsom’s Interagency Council on Homelessness for failing to fully track how billions of dollars were spent or determining which programs were effective.