Gavin Newsom finally acknowledges the massive homeless problem in the Bay Area – California Governor Gavin Newsom has seemingly finally acknowledged the homeless problem in his state – at the very least in the Bay Area, as he blasted a court order that restricts authorities in San Francisco from clearing up homeless encampments and makeshift shelters without first offering shelter to their occupants.
Gavin Newsom Has One Problem He Can’t Seem to Solve Right Now
In fact, Newsom found himself sharing common ground with largely conservative billionaire Elon Musk – whose Twitter (now called “X”) headquarters is in downtown San Francisco, with other offices located in the state – who called for a boycott of Latham & Watkins, a large global law firm that provided legal services to the Coalition on Homelessness, a non-profit organization that sued the city. The suit alleges that the city of San Francisco subjected its homeless population to “cruel and unusual punishment.”
“On homelessness, @ElonMusk has touched on a key issue. California has made record investments — $15.3 bil. But federal courts block local efforts to clear street encampments — even when housing and services are offered. Courts must also be held accountable. Enough is enough,” Newsom tweeted recently.
However, a number of (verified / blue check) Twitter users pointed out that U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu, the federal judge presiding over the case, was appointed by former president Barack Obama, who, like Newsom, is a Democrat.
“All judges appointed by Democrats, nice try Slick,” said the tweet.
“Take responsibility for your failures—it’s too late to back out of them now,” another reply read.
Bay Area homelessness and crime is out of control
San Francisco has long grappled with the issue of homelessness in the city, which, along with other problems like the insanely high cost of living and rent, has caused a number of problems ranging from the proliferation of human waste on streets to business closures and higher incidents of crime.
In an interview with U.K.-based publication The Telegraph, a reader, Christina Voyles recounted an incident in 2015 where a homeless person attacked and wounded her without provocation, resulting in treatments to prevent a possible HIV infection. Vo
yles, who had accepted a job to teach at the University of Berkeley at the time, had also only just finished treatments for breast cancer, so the ordeal was extremely traumatic for her.
Voyles told the publication that first responders were more attentive to the homeless person, who feigned having a heart attack and accused her of attacking him.
When she sought more information from authorities, she learned he was known to the police and had only recently been released from prison.
Multiple businesses have also closed down due to conditions in the city. The famous Union Square is a shell of its former self, with several permanently closed storefronts. Even large companies like AT&T, which had one of its flagship stores in the city, permanently shut down the location at the beginning of the month.
The move follows those like from theater company Cinemark and retailer Nordstrom, which have also shuttered their stores in the city.
Tim Ramos has written for various publications, corporations, and organizations – covering everything from finance, politics, travel, entertainment, and sports – in Asia and the U.S. for more than 10 years.
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