(Daily360.com) California Governor Gavin Newsom was asked if his spending cuts were a result of a failure by the state government to track the money that was spent on homelessness. The five-year program spent $24 billion, but an audit couldn’t determine how the money was spent. Meanwhile, California currently has an outstanding deficit of $45 billion.
At the press conference, Governor Newsom announced his proposed cuts, but journalist Angela Hart asked him about wasted money spent on homelessness and whether that has caused him to rethink spending habits. He failed to provide a confident answer to the question at the podium. The governor said he wasn’t surprised by the report and that they are working to increase accountability for the way dollars are being spent locally and statewide. Newsom said it is difficult for the state to track how local governments are spending the dollars they are given.
Hart told Newsom that she didn’t hear an answer to her question. Newsom said the public believes that more spending is not always better. He added that the citizens of California rightfully care about seeing results for the money that is spent. The governor also referred to an amicus brief he sent to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding homeless encampments. Newsom said he hopes the court can find an appropriate balance between “reasonable limits” on homeless encampments while allowing the homeless people to retain their dignity.
Despite the large spending budget on a statewide crisis, homelessness increased in California by 6% in the last year. Close to one out of every three homeless people in the United States lives in California. Last November, the governor was criticized for removing homeless encampments in San Francisco to make the city look presentable for an incoming visit from Chinese President Xi Xing Ping.
The Los Angeles health department has announced they are investigating an outbreak of Hepatitis A amongst the homeless population in the county.
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