SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a model ordinance designed to help cities and counties manage homeless encampments, while also releasing $3.3 billion in Proposition 1 funds to expand behavioral health housing and treatment options across California.

The announcement, detailed in a news release from the Governor’s Office, outlines a hypothetical framework for local governments to establish rules and enforcement procedures that prioritize notice, shelter and support services. The model ordinance includes requirements such as a 48-hour notice before encampment clearance, coordination with service providers and storage of displaced belongings.

“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,” Newsom said in a statement “Now, we’re giving [local leaders] a model they can put to work immediately — with urgency and with humanity — to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing and care.”

The ordinance would ban sleeping, including in a sleeping bag, in one space for more than three consecutive nights in a row. Based off the ordinance, people would be forced to pick up and move at least 200 feet every night. 

The ordinance follows Newsom’s 2024 executive order urging jurisdictions to act swiftly using existing state and local resources. It also builds on legal precedent affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which clarified local authority to regulate public camping.

According to the Governor’s Office, the model ordinance includes provisions to prohibit long-term camping in a single location and blockages of public sidewalks, while also ensuring reasonable efforts to connect unhoused individuals with services before any action is taken.

The policy is modeled after the state’s own efforts, which have resulted in the clearance of more than 16,000 encampments and removal of over 311,000 cubic yards of debris since July 2021, according to the Governor’s Office.

Officials describe the approach as scalable, effective and grounded in public safety and dignity.

In conjunction with the ordinance, the state is making $3.3 billion in Prop. 1 funds available to local communities. The funding, approved by voters, will be directed toward expanding housing and behavioral health treatment for the most seriously ill and unhoused Californians.

Advocates for the homeless repeatedly argue that the state does not have enough supportive housing and shelter beds to funnel those removed from tents and sidewalks into better conditions. The governor often voices his frustration over the lack of progress at the local level, casting homelessness as a humanitarian crisis and a health and safety issue.

Newsom suggested that cities do not prohibit encampments if there are no available shelter beds. 

While the Governor’s Office cannot force local municipalities to act, can pressure local governments by withholding funding for cities or counties. 

The Governor’s Office said more than $27 billion has been invested during Newsom’s tenure to address homelessness statewide. The state has also created a transparency platform — accountability.ca.gov — that tracks local governments’ progress on homelessness response, housing and behavioral health efforts.

According to the website, Sacramento County constructed 22,311 housing units between 2019-2023 and has tamped down people living without shelter by 40.8% since 2023.  

While homelessness has risen nationwide by more than 18% in 2024, California has limited its increase to 3%, according to the news release. The state has also seen reductions in veteran and youth homelessness, bucking national trends.

“There are no more excuses,” Newsom said in the news release. “The tools are here. The time for inaction is over.”