The Golden State boasts as much as 50% of the nation’s homeless population and has spent a whopping $24 billion to address the problem. Six gubernatorial candidates faced-off in a debate Wednesday night and offered A-F grades on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of the issue.
Here’s what they said:
Katie Porter: ‘B‘
“I’m a notoriously tough grader, but I would probably give him a B on homelessness,” said Democrat Katie Porter, stating her view that the homelessness crisis in California is due to a “housing problem.”
“We’re not going to solve homelessness without bringing down the cost of housing,” she said.
Porter pledged to “fund homelessness prevention,” saying an “interim housing or shelter situation” is the solution.
“For every person we put into permanent supportive housing, somebody else loses their home and takes their place. That’s why Californians feel like we’re not making progress despite spending significant money,” Porter said.
Xavier Becerra: ‘A’
Xavier Becerra, a Democrat and former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, stated Newsom’s efforts have been sincere.
“We’ve seen him come down to Los Angeles — actually go down and try to clean the streets. On effort, I would give him an A,” he said.
However, added that he would “focus on accountability.”
“I would make sure if we’re sending billions of dollars down to the local community store [in] our cities and our counties, that we would demand accountability from the dollar that we’re going to give them. We need to see results, and results are what you see on the streets.”
Bacerra also stated his intention to offer a “zero interest loan” to anyone struggling to pay rent, as a means of preventing homelessness.
Tom Steyer: ‘B-’
Tom Steyer’s plan includes giving Californians emergency interim housing, with few restrictions.
“Shared laundry and food, you don’t have to be clean, and you can bring your animal,” Steyer, also a Democrat, said. “The goal is that people want to go to it.”
Matt Mahan: ‘B’
Matt Mahan said the solution to California homelessness lies in the “basic dignified shelter,” a concept he implemented as mayor of San Jose. Mahan, also a Democrat, said the shelters reduced homelessness in the city by one-third.
“We required that people come indoors — that’s why trust in San Jose has increased. …That’s part of the reason our streets are safer and cleaner,” he said.
Despite giving Newsom a B grade, Mahan believes the “implementation” is what Democrats have done wrong.
“I’m going to give us all a D on implementation. San Jose has led the way … but we have not delivered the results people deserve.”
Chad Bianco: ‘F’
In stark contrast to the Democrats, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco called Newsom’s record on homelessness a “dismal failure,” arguing that the issue is caused by drugs and mental health issues, not the lack of affordable housing.
“It has nothing to do with homes. This is drug and alcohol-induced psychosis or mental illness causing the other,” Bianco said. “… We would’ve fixed this problem probably already had the Democrats in California, in the state legislature and our governor, funded Proposition 36.”
Proposition 36, which took effect in December 2024, targets repeat drug offenders and mandates treatment for individuals with drug-related felonies.
Concluding his response, Bianco shared his plan for his first day in office, if elected.
“Every single bit of money going to nonprofits and NGOs for the homeless ends the day I take over,” he said. “A small portion of that will go to the drug and alcohol treatment centers that they need, the mental health centers that they need, and more importantly, the combination of those two.”
Steve Hilton: ‘F’
“It shames our state — the situation with homelessness. We have around 10% of the nation’s population but about 50% of the country’s homeless population,” Republican Steve Hilton said.
Regarding the governor’s participation in physically cleaning up streets, Hilton argued it was all a “photo-op.”
“Gavin Newsom literally did that three times in a row and nothing changed. And nothing will change if we keep these Democrats in power,” Hilton said.
Hilton shared his “common sense 3-point plan” for addressing homelessness: It is illegal to live on the streets, place people in drug treatment centers, and put people into mental health care facilities.
