California Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed that rampant homelessness in his state was the result of failed policies and neglect from lawmakers.
During a Thursday appearance on Newsmax’s The Record with Greta Van Susteren, the host asked the governor to address the Golden State’s homeless crisis.
According to an updated fact sheet released by the state senate early this year, California had 181,399 homeless people, which represents over a quarter of the country’s homeless population. The state also had the second-highest increase in homelessness from 2022-2023.
“How did you get to that point, though?” Van Susteren asked. “It’s a problem that’s plagued every state in the nation. But, certainly, California, because it is such a large state … we see the enormous impact on it. But how did California get so much homelessness?”
“Because of our own policies and neglect,” Newsom replied. “We put up our feet and we rested on our laurels. We allowed NIMBYism to dominate in our state.”
NIMBY, which stands for “Not In My Backyard,” refers to a trend in which residents support certain developments in theory, but oppose the developments when they are proposed close to their homes or neighborhoods.
“We’re not building,” he added. “It’s Econ. 101, supply and demand. We simply have not been building enough housing for decades and decades and decades. So, the cost of living, affordability has been the dominant challenge in our state.”
Newsom said the issues of housing and homelessness had become more dominant across the country in both red and blue states.
“We were down — you saw the new numbers last year in places like Florida that had a huge spike in homelessness,” he said. “The housing costs, insurance costs across the board in states like Florida are increasingly challenging.”
“So, it’s not surprising to me that, in the economic plan that Kamala Harris put out, she talked about affordability and housing, not just from the prism of being a former Californian, as it relates to her time served in the state, but as vice president, understanding the United States and its challenges,” he concluded. BREAKING: Gavin Newsom straight up admits California has been destroyed by his OWN policies and Demorats' "neglect"
Q: "How did California get so much homelessness?"
A: "Because of our own policies."
Am I hearing things? Did he really just say that?
pic.twitter.com/RQAmv8yUrn
— George (@BehizyTweets) August 22, 2024
Though Harris did not address homelessness during her Thursday night speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), she did mention plans to create what she called “an opportunity economy."
“As president, I will bring together labor and workers, small-business owners and entrepreneurs and American companies, to create jobs, grow our economy, and lower the cost of everyday needs, like healthcare, housing, and groceries,” said Harris. “We will provide access to capital for small-business owners, entrepreneurs, and founders. We will end America’s housing shortage and protect Social Security and Medicare.”
