(UnitedVoice.com) – San Francisco-based news agency SFGate interviewed then-Democratic Mayor-Elect Gavin Newsom shortly after his 2003 election victory. He vowed to make homelessness his incoming administration’s “number one priority” and discussed his so-called 10-year plan to end the chronic issue.
Newsom took a few steps toward achieving that goal during his two terms as mayor, as detailed in an exhaustive report published by the San Francisco Chronicle discussing his efforts. The media outlet revealed that the number of homeless people in the metro area remained flat during his time in office.
Full of bluster, Newsom left office to mount a successful campaign for Lieutenant Governor of California in 2010. However, the same can’t be said for his aspirations to rid San Francisco of its homeless population on the 20th anniversary of his promise to do just that.
20 Years of Failure
Despite Newsom’s efforts to end homelessness in the Golden Gate City, US News and World Report recently ranked San Francisco as having the ninth largest homeless population in the country, with 7,754 individuals living on the street. The per capita rate has dropped a few points since 2020 but currently sits at 9.5 people per 1,000.
Unsurprisingly, all of the top 10 cities listed were led by Democratic mayors. California managed to get a total of 6 cities listed, including Los Angeles (65,111 at a rate of 16.9 homeless people per 1,000 residents), San Jose (10,028 with 10.2 per 1,000), Oakland (9,747, with 22.5 per 1,000), Sacramento (9,278, with 17.7 per 1,000), and San Diego (8,427, with 6.1 per 1,000).
Other top 10 cities included Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, and New York. Their homeless populations ranged from 6,884 in the Mile High City to 61,840 in The Big Apple.
Newsom’s Failed Efforts Extend Beyond San Francisco
Sadly, Newsom’s inability to conquer homelessness in San Francisco was only a precursor to his failure to achieve that goal statewide as governor. He has served as the state’s top executive since January 7, 2019. Unfortunately for Californians, his term doesn’t expire until January 4, 2027.
Newsom has made multiple promises as governor to end homelessness and announced a few ill-conceived plans to achieve that goal. However, he’s failed across the board to solve the problem, as evidenced by the recent US News and World Report study.
Likewise, a 2020 report published by the City Mayors Society found that California had nine times the number of homeless people as Republican-led Florida. The group also reported that 53% of the unsheltered homeless people in America hailed from Newsom’s home state.
Most recently, Newsom threatened to cut $1 billion in state funds to California’s city and county governments in late 2022 over what he called their “unacceptable” plans to reduce homelessness by only 2% by the end of 2023. Meanwhile, 2024 looks like another losing year for California’s homeless population.
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