Governor Newsom Orders Clearing of Homeless Encampments

KQED's Forum

In an executive order Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered California officials to dismantle homeless encampments across the state today. It will be the biggest action nationwide, expected to affect tens of thousands of people, since the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Grants Pass v. Johnson case has made it easier for cities to clear out homeless encampments without first offering shelter options. Homeless advocates say the court’s decision will usher in more policing and criminalization of unhoused people and shift away resources from moving people into permanent housing. We’ll talk about Newsom’s action and Bay Area cities’ plans for responding to homeless encampments in the wake of the Grants Pass ruling.

Guests:

Kevin Fagan, reporter, San Francisco Chronicle

Harold Duffey, interim city administrator, city of Oakland. Duffey is also Oakland's acting homeless administrator.

Andrew Sullivan, president, San Francisco Board Sailing Association

Nisha Kashyap, program director, racial justice division, Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights