Homelessness crisis will haunt Newsom in debate with DeSantis
After exchanging lengthy distance insults for months, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will supposedly have a face-to-face debate some place and a while within the fall.
DeSantis is attempting to realize traction as a Republican candidate for president in 2024 whereas Newsom is attempting to ascertain himself as a nationwide Democratic Occasion chief with potential White Home ambitions circa 2028. Every portrays his state as a mannequin of governance for the nation to emulate.
If it occurs – and it’s not sure, given squabbling over particulars – a Newsom-DeSantis debate could be the political equal of one other conflict of overstimulated egos, the cage match between two tech tycoons Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Whereas Newsom appears to be the glibber of the 2, and thus is favored by media handicappers to out-talk his rival, the California governor has one huge albatross sitting on his shoulder: his state’s ever-worsening homelessness disaster – and he is aware of it.
When Newsom was interviewed by Fox Information speak present host Sean Hannity in June – an look the place debating DeSantis was first instructed – he was pressured to acknowledge the seeming intractability of his state’s homelessness catastrophe.
“The state has not made progress within the final twenty years because it pertains to homelessness,” the California governor mentioned flatly.
“As a result of housing prices are too excessive,” Newsom replied as Hannity pressed him for causes. “Our regulatory thickets are too problematic. Localism has been too impactful, that means individuals domestically are pushing again in opposition to new housing begins and development.”
Hannity contrasted California’s greater than 171,000 homeless individuals with Florida’s 26,000 and Newsom replied, “After all, not even comparable.”
“The dynamics are very completely different,” Newsom continued, with out explaining them. “That mentioned, we personal this, Sean. I’m not right here defending this.”
A couple of weeks later, California acquired one other indication that homelessness is continuous to broaden despite the fact that state and native governments have spent and are spending billions of {dollars} on efforts to scale back it – almost $20 billion by the state alone since Newsom grew to become governor.
The Los Angeles Homeless Providers Authority, which was created to search out options to the disaster, launched its newest rely of individuals dwelling on the streets.
“This 12 months, we estimate that 75,518 individuals expertise homelessness on any given night time in Los Angeles County, and 46,260 individuals accomplish that within the metropolis of Los Angeles,” the authority mentioned. The variety of homeless individuals rose 9% in Los Angeles County, as an entire, over the 2022 rely, and 10% inside the metropolis.
“Final 12 months, it appeared that the curve of homelessness development began to flatten, however we’re again to seeing a trajectory that mirrored earlier years,” the authority’s report acknowledged.
Because the 2015 rely, homelessness has elevated by 70% within the county and 80% within the metropolis, and the disaster has an inescapable racial facet. Whereas Black individuals make up simply 9% of Los Angeles County’s inhabitants, they characterize 32% of the county’s homeless inhabitants with Latinos one other 43%.
Clearly homelessness is a immense human tragedy, but it surely is also a political legal responsibility not just for Newsom however different figures, resembling Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who received her place final 12 months on a promise to resolve it. It bears an uncanny resemblance to Newsom’s promise twenty years in the past, when he was the mayor of San Francisco, that he would finish homelessness in 10 years.
DeSantis needs his debate with Newsom to start with movies of every governor making his case. If that occurs, we will count on DeSantis’ video to function the ever-spreading squalor of California’s homeless encampments.
Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.
