Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered cities across the Golden state to start cleaning up its homeless encampments, stating that the "time for inaction is over" and that the state has a lot of federal funding to help with the efforts.

California has become known for having the highest homeless rate in the country with 187,000 homeless people as of 2024, who largely occupy cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Los Angeles has the second highest homeless population in the country, behind New York City.

Newsom laid out a plan to eliminate the homeless population from his state in a news release, instructing cities to adopt policies that help end the encampments and pointed to a Supreme Court ruling last year that allowed the state to resume its efforts.

“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets," Newsom said in a statement. "Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity — the courts delivered. Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.”

The model ordinance encourages local governments to use federal funding to help their homeless residents connect with mental healthcare and support. 

The order encourages cities to ban persistent camping in one location, placing encampments on sidewalks that would block people from walking, and instructs local officials to "provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter prior to clearing an encampment."

The announcement comes as the state releases $3.3 billion in voter-approved Proposition 1 funding.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.