Newsom rejects claims his homelessness plan isn’t working

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and JULIE WATSON
Associated Press

PARAMOUNT, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom rejects claims by the sheriff of California’s most populous county that record spending on homelessness initiatives isn’t putting a dent in the problem of people living in the streets. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says the state isn’t held accountable for where the billions of dollars go and the money is funding a “homeless industrial complex.” The governor pointed to legislation he signed last July that specifically requires cities and counties to follow accountability measures in order to receive money to combat homelessness. Newsom said that in the past year the state put 50,000 people who were homeless into hotel rooms turned into temporary shelters and 8,000 people into hotels converted into permanent housing.