SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement today after filing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to grant review in the case of City of Grants Pass v. Johnson and urging the Court to clarify that state and local governments can take reasonable actions to address the homelessness crisis creating health and safety dangers to individuals living in encampments and our communities.

“As California invests billions to address housing and homelessness, the courts have tied the hands of state and local governments that seek to use common sense approaches to clean our streets and provide help for unhoused Californians living in inhumane conditions.

“While I agree with the basic principle that a city shouldn’t criminalize homeless individuals for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go within that city’s boundaries, courts continue to reach well beyond that narrow limit to block any number of reasonable efforts to protect homeless individuals and the broader public from the harms of uncontrolled encampments. It’s time for the courts to stop these confusing, impractical and costly rulings that only serve to worsen this humanitarian crisis.”

Click here to review the amicus brief.

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