California has a homelessness problem that is serious enough to make many impoverished Third-World countries blush.
This is far from a new problem, even though the scale of the situation has only increased in recent years.
Gov. Gavin Newsom even appeared in a video touting his plan for solutions to the state’s biggest black eye — 14 years ago.
Gavin Newsom vows to end homelessness in San Fransisco in 10 year…in 2008 pic.twitter.com/m9b5k0pHO7
— Kevin Dalton (@KevinForBOS) September 22, 2022
The progressive corporatist was the mayor of San Francisco at the time.
In the video, Newsom outlined his solutions to the city’s problem with homelessness, pledging to build more housing. Housing shortages are continually cited as key to the unaffordable state’s homelessness crisis to this day.
Former Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors candidate Kevin Dalton shared the video on his Twitter feed Thursday.
[firefly_poll]
In spite of an entire set of ever-growing local, state and federal programs, California’s homeless problem has only gotten discernibly worse, even as Newsom has ascended to higher office and continually been re-elected.
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has tallied a steadily increasing homeless population in the state since 2010.
Los Angeles 2021
It would take only 4 billions $ to eradicate homelessness.
While 1000 billions per year are spend on defense/army (agression)
Where are the homeless human rights ? pic.twitter.com/v2KZUtt94x— Angelo Giuliano ?? ??/ living in ?? (@Angelo4justice3) June 6, 2021
California’s inability to reduce homelessness — even as the state spends increasing sums on programs and bureaucracy — has led residents to criticize the state’s “homeless industrial complex.”
There’s a makeshift tent camp of homeless people outside my hotel window in Los Angeles. Super Bowl brings in $350-$400 million for host city but none of it goes to these people. pic.twitter.com/211fs055l3
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) February 9, 2022
California was “home” to a massive 28 percent of the total homeless population in the United States as recently as 2020, according to Forbes.
That’s more than double its share of the population of the country. It’s possible the state’s homeless proportion has actually increased over the past two years amid housing shortages and skyrocketing inflation.
Newsom often avoids speaking about policy matters affecting his own state during public appearances, instead opting to deliver partisan talking points aimed at Republican governors of other states.
Homelessness has become a point of political contention in California, which has long been governed as a de facto single-party state under Democrat rule.
Business owners and residents in Democrat-run Los Angeles are FED UP with the homelessness plaguing the city pic.twitter.com/gya4d43tFS
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 21, 2022
California’s homeless crisis has even spurred criticism from the United Nations.
In 2018, the international body accused state and local leaders of human rights violations surrounding San Francisco’s homelessness, according to SFGate.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.