As California governor Gavin Newsom gears up for a presidential run in 2024, a new report by the California State University of Sacramento showed the homeless population almost doubled in three years in California’s State Capitol.

Newsom claimed to be the “homeless czar.” However, his leadership has not resulted in more rehabilitation centers or additional mental help for those who need it, nor has it led to building enough shelters to get the homeless away from the open-air drug markets and not sleeping on the streets, as encampments block walkways. So as Newsom focuses on red states such as Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma, the citizens of California are getting the brunt of it from his leadership.

PIT RESULTS:
Sacramento County’s homeless population nearly doubled in 3 years, and is now higher than SF.

On any given night, there are 9,278 homeless ppl in the Sac County, up from 5,570 in Jan 2019.
Up to 20,000 people will experience homelessness over the course of the year.

— Theresa Clift (@tclift) June 28, 2022

This homelessness spike is not solely Newsom’s fault, as blame should be placed on Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, as well. The Mom’s Demand Action group in San Francisco pleaded with the Mayor to do something in the city to deal with the drug crisis; to her credit, Breed recently opened up the first drug sobering center in San Francisco; Newsom did not even attempt to support or help them in any way because his focus is on attacking red states, instead of solving the crises in his own state.

People who are struggling with substance use need places where they can safely rest and stabilize. The SoMa RISE Center is San Francisco’s first drug sobering site, that welcomes residents in the SoMa and Tenderloin neighborhoods who need support and access to long-term services. pic.twitter.com/s7nMmEuuU7

— London Breed (@LondonBreed) June 23, 2022

As Newsom tries moving into the national spotlight, he has highlighted abortion and gun control, which is already intact in his state, as the biggest issues in the November midterms. Instead of backing tough-on-crime District Attorneys, California leadership backed soft-on-crime DA’s like George Gascon and now-recalled DA Chesa Boudin, which led to rampant crime in Los Angeles and San Francisco. As for abortion, the Governor alone can’t overturn a ruling by the California Supreme Court. The reason why Newsom has highlighted abortion and gun control against gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Brian Dahle is that he can’t run on his ineffective record as Governor.

Newsom has been in charge of a city or the state of California since 2004. It seems like a never-ending trend for Newsom; when he was Mayor of San Francisco, the city saw an increase in homelessness. As Governor, homelessness has exploded across the state because nothing is being done to address the root causes.

For the first time, Sacramento surpassed San Francsico in homelessness while having roughly 300,000 fewer people in the city. This is the direct result of an ineffective Governor who talks a big game but delivers the bare minimum of what he promises.