California Governor Gavin Newsom is being boiled in a pot of hot water, but like that proverbial frog, he's acclimated to it and fails to realize how the optics of his hypocrisy and yawning lack of leadership are being seen, especially in his shadow campaign for president. 

As my colleagues Nick Arama and Sister Toldjah have reported, San Francisco received an Extreme Makeover: Homeless Edition. The downtown San Francisco areas that were previously overrun with drug-addled homeless and feces were suddenly spotless and clean. Of course, the reason was because of a visit from Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi's real boss: Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Newsom's China trip two weeks ago clearly showed who Newsom is beholden to, and it is not the people of California. Perhaps Newsom recognized that he'd better pretend to show leadership on this ulcerous issue that he promised to fix almost 20 years ago, or perhaps Jinping made demands that he would not show up if he had to step over feces and needles. Either way, Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed took action, proving that the issue of homelessness is not a problem of resources or money, but will. 

Arama wrote:

Of course, they moved the homeless to other areas that were not affected by the Summit, so they weren't truly addressing the problem, just moving it around a bit. It shows they can do some things for appearance for Xi, but they don't care about cleaning it up or keeping things safe for the regular residents, normally. To the powers that be, regular residents aren't as important as a Communist dictator.

Governor Hair Gel did not even bother to deny it. As Sister Toldjah reported, he was practically giddy in admitting they were deliberate in their intention and pushed back with, "If you have people over at your house, you are gonna clean up the house.”

As Newsom spoke, he made a very revealing admission that confirmed speculation as to exactly why the city was in a frenzy to spruce things up (bolded emphasis added):

"We're cleaning up this state!" said California Governor Gavin Newsom as he touted Clean California. He spoke during the unveiling of a street tree nursery in San Francisco.

"I know folks are saying, 'Oh they're just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town.' That's true because it's true, but it's also true for months and months and months prior to APEC we've been having conversations," said Newsom.

Newsom is big on conversations. Frankly, it's all he seems to be capable of doing. Mayor Breed also admitted that the cleanup ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) was all about the Benjamins. Follow the money.

WATCH:

OMG - Gavin Newsom just said the quiet part out loud! WHAT?! He's ADMITTING the only reason he (rapidly) cleaned SF (which proves that he's been lying ALL ALONG about being unable to do this) is to make the city look pretty for Chinese President Xi (while the people behind him… https://t.co/yScEDjeRks

— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) November 13, 2023

But the homeless encampments are not just isolated to San Francisco. It would appear a more manageable problem if that were the case. Homeless encampments blanket California like a filthy down comforter, and among the drug and disease, these encampments heighten the issue of fire mitigation. In Los Angeles this weekend, a portion of the 10 Freeway, which is a major artery connecting the beach cities to Downtown Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, was shut down due to a raging fire. Because of the potential damage to the freeway, which is managed by the state agency Caltrans, Newsom declared a state of emergency.

Newsom declared a state of emergency after a massive fire broke out in Los Angeles causing a major freeway to shut down. Many suspect it started in a homeless encampment littered with drugs housed under the freeway.

Did you know that in 2021 there was an average of 25 fires a… pic.twitter.com/oRcMRF27MN

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 13, 2023

Anyone who has lived in Los Angeles for at least the last five years knows that the incidents of sudden fires have almost always started in homeless encampments. In 2021, reports cited that fires happened up to 24 times a day from these encampments. In 2022, a similar incident as the 10 Freeway tragedy occurred under the 880 Freeway in Oakland, California. It's a feature, not a bug.

In a press conference on Sunday with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Newsom tried to cover up the fact that this 10 Freeway fire had the same homeless encampment causation. Newsom made excuses about how much money he has poured into encampment cleanup and how much responsibility he is taking to mitigate this problem. Then, he literally laid the blame on the property and lease owners of the land that the homeless had overtaken. The homegrown team legacy media has dutifully adjusted their headlines and coverage to call it a "pallet fire" rather than point out what most know is the real cause.

When will we be sick of the destruction wrought on this city by the Homeless Industrial Complex and its enablers on the LA City Council and the LA County Board of Supervisors?

Sure it was a pallet yard, but those pallets didn't set themselves ablaze, and there's been a massive… https://t.co/X9jIHYPPrP

— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) November 13, 2023

When will we be sick of the destruction wrought on this city by the Homeless Industrial Complex and its enablers on the LA City Council and the LA County Board of Supervisors? Sure it was a pallet yard, but those pallets didn't set themselves ablaze, and there's been a massive homeless encampment there for awhile.

WATCH:

Get ready for a lot of self-congratulations while City and State officials try to avoid all questions on the 10 Freeway bridge fire being caused by a homeless encampment. Gov. Newsom says the business leasing the area is "in violation" and that they were facing a court date.… https://t.co/4G5xzHc0aT

— Alexandra Datig | Front Page Index 🇺🇸 (@alexdatig) November 12, 2023

"Nothing more important for our administration. Our collective administration," Newsom crowed in the video. Yeah, sure, Jan. Even when Newsom is supposedly informing citizens and addressing the problem, he can't help but puff and preen. It is criminal for Newsom to do a song and dance about an investigation, then blame property owners who are trapped by the legal morass created by the Homeless Industrial Complex that makes it extremely difficult to kick people off properties. CalMatters called out this behavior of Newsom, especially in light of his presidential aspirations.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s obvious efforts to raise his national profile have taken two forms – touting California as a societal model and criticizing red states such as Florida and Texas for their supposed shortcomings.

Increasingly, Newsom employs a third tactic – shifting blame for California’s less seemly aspects.

That tendency is particularly evident in something that Californians rate as one of their top concerns – its worst-in-the-nation incidence of homelessness, manifested in thousands of squalid encampments in the state’s cities.

This article was written in February. With the cleanup of San Francisco for the benefit of Xi Jinping and wealthy investors, it is even more evident that Newsom cares not one whit about Californians' concerns.

While running for governor in 2018, Newsom promised to appoint a cabinet-level official to concentrate on homelessness but later, when reporters pressed him, responded, “You want to know who’s the homeless czar?” Newsom. “I’m the homeless czar in the state of California.”

Despite that self-appointed role, as homelessness continued to grow, officially approaching 200,000 people but probably much higher, Newsom began shunning responsibility.

Last year, he blamed local officials for a lack of effective action, at one point suspending state funds. He later restored the money but continued to castigate them.

Expect Newsom to cast more veiled and blatant blame, create bogeymen that destroy real estate and business owners, and cover up his own failure on homelessness. The difference is progressive cheerleaders are starting to leave the field, and the rest of the entire nation is taking note of these moves and will hopefully show him the door.