Newsom’s homeless encampment order: What impact will it have in Santa Cruz County?

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday calling on all state agencies to develop policies to clear homeless encampments in their jurisdictions. The order also encouraged local governments to draft similar policies, but stopped short of requiring any action from cities and counties. 

Although the order has raised questions across the state in terms of specific impact, the governor appears to at least be taking a stronger stance on homeless encampments following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson. In a 6-3 vote last month that overturned a 2018 federal court ruling, the Supreme Court justices said governments could criminalize camping and sleeping on public property without regard to available shelter space or services. 

In Santa Cruz County, representatives of the three jurisdictions on the front lines of the homelessness crisis — Santa Cruz County and the cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville — said Newsom’s order levies no immediate changes to their approach. 

“I read it, shrugged my shoulders, and moved on,” Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley said Thursday. Keeley said the city has found a successful, service-oriented approach to homelessness, and does not need a suggestion from the governor on how to handle the issue locally. The city’s recent point-in-time counts showed significant reductions in street homelessness: a 29% drop in 2023, followed by a 36% drop in 2024. 

Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision and Newsom’s order, the city cleared multiple homeless encampments it viewed as health and safety risks: the Benchlands in 2022, and Pogonip/Sycamore Grove in 2023. The city was able to legally clear those encampments because it could offer shelter to each person evicted from the area. 

“I’m imagining the governor didn’t have Santa Cruz in mind when he drafted this order,” Keeley said. 

Newsom’s order came down while Watsonville was already a couple days into clearing a major encampment along the Pajaro River levee. That operation was made possible by the Grants Pass decision, city spokesperson Michelle Pulido said. She said Newsom’s order reaffirms the court ruling, but by itself does not have a direct impact on Watsonville’s approach to encampments.

The order specifically calls on state agencies to develop policies to clear encampments on state-owned property. Newsom offered as a template the California Department of Transportation’s policy, which has been used to remove homeless camps along state highways. Newsom said the new policies must allow agencies to immediately clear a homeless encampment that poses imminent threats to life, health, safety or infrastructure. In non-emergency situations, the state agency should post a 48-hour notice to vacate before dismantling the encampment. The agencies should also store any personal property collected at the camp for at least 60 days, and contact organizations to offer services to people living at the camps.

In a statement released to the San Francisco Chronicle, Newsom said, “There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.” 

Santa Cruz County spokesperson Jason Hoppin said Newsom’s order won’t trigger any “imminent change or action from our standpoint,” unless the governor follows the order up with more explicit directions on how and when to clear a camp. 

“It’s clear that the governor wants action on this, he’s frustrated,” Hoppin said. “We’re going to continue with our service-oriented approach. If you do all enforcement without services, then you’re just squeezing the balloon and not making progress. Our preference for resolving homelessness is to move people into housing.”

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