Citrus Heights mayor says governor’s homeless directive won’t make ‘one bit of difference’

By Sara Beth Williams–
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order last week directing state agencies to develop policies to address homeless encampments with “both urgency and compassion” is being criticized by Citrus Heights Mayor Bret Daniels.

Daniels told The Sentinel that the state should have addressed the issue of chronic homelessness in California years ago, and said the governor’s order is a reaction to political pressure.

“I think the governor is being disingenuous at best,” Daniels said on Friday following the announcement. “I don’t think his executive order will make one bit of difference in what we see in California.”

According to the July 25 release, Newsom’s executive order directs the state to develop guidance to assist local governments in creating their own policies to address encampments, and encourages agencies to take advantage of state grant funding available through Proposition 1, which aims to expand the behavioral health continuum and provide care to individuals experiencing mental health conditions and substance use disorders.

The announcement comes on the heels of a 6 to 3 decision, where the Supreme Court voted in favor of Grants Pass, Oregon, on June 28, and wrote, “The [Grants Pass] public-camping laws prohibit actions undertaken by any person, regardless of status. It makes no difference whether the charged defendant is currently a person experiencing homelessness, a backpacker on vacation, or a student who abandons his dorm room to camp out in protest on the lawn of a municipal building.”

The June 2024 decision overturned the 2018 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ previous Martin v. Boise decision, which had barred cities from enforcing public camping ordinances if there weren’t enough shelter beds for homeless individuals.

“The state has been hard at work to address this crisis on our streets. There are simply no more excuses,” Newsom said in the release.

The governor’s executive order outlines “unprecedented investments” of $24 billion in funding across multiple agencies and departments, such as housing and homeless support services. However, a recent bipartisan audit on homelessness funding over the last five years found much of the state’s billions in funds earmarked to tackle homelessness have gone unaccounted for, or have been “inconsistently tracked.”

According to local news reports, the audit analyzed five programs that received a combined $13.7 billion in funding and determined that only two of them were “likely cost-effective,” including one that converts hotel and motel rooms into housing and another that provides housing assistance to prevent families from becoming homeless.

While Daniels is critical of the governor’s order, others like Sacramento Mayor Darrel Steinberg praised the guidance of Newsom’s executive order and said he believes in “compassionate enforcement.” Daniels announced earlier this year that he will be moving to Kentucky at the end of his term, citing an “overbearing government system” in California.

As previously reported, in Citrus Heights, the city has been working with both police and county agencies to help combat and “break the cycle” of homelessness, according to City Manager Ash Feeney.

In a July 10 quarterly message, Feeney called the city’s approach to homelessness “comprehensive” and outlined several collaborative efforts between the city, Citrus Heights Police Department, and Sacramento County Department of Homeless Services and Housing.

In managing public safety and quality of life issues, the city has implemented the Beautification Crew, which works with the Police Department to address illegal activities such as illegal camping, unlawful storage of personal property in public spaces, illegal dumping, shopping cart abandonment, and chronic nuisance offenses.

Feeney emphasized that the Police Department strives to connect unhoused individuals with services, but the department is also responsible for “bringing accountability through law enforcement” and emphasized that there will be “increased accountability for violations of the law,” following the Grants Pass court ruling.

“Citrus Heights is committed to using this restored authority to balance compassion for individuals experiencing homelessness with the need to maintain public order and safety,” Feeney said.

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