Democrats and Republicans expressed frustration Monday as they questioned Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top housing officials during a tense legislative hearing over how billions of state dollars have been spent to combat worsening housing the homeless crisis.
The hearing by the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight came after a state audit released last month found that California had failed to adequately follow the results of its vast spending on homelessness programs, raising questions about effectiveness and transparency.
California has spent more than $20 billion over the past five years to help people get off the streets, but homelessness has continued to rise, jumping 6% in 2023 to more than 180,000 people. . California has been the state with the largest homeless population for more than a decade, according to the latest federal data.
The audit raised concerns in the Legislature about whether the spending worked and could hamper cities and counties’ requests for additional funds to address the crisis, as the state faces a huge budget deficit.
Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) hammered Newsom officials Monday, demanding data on how specific programs worked to shelter the homeless. Officials have repeatedly said the information is not yet available.
“You come to a budget committee and there are no numbers,” Ting said. “How many people have we helped? How many people are off the streets? …Because that’s what the public wants to know. What was the money spent on?
Meghan Marshall, executive director of the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, said the system is undergoing a “transformation” and officials are still working on reporting requirements mandated by a law Newsom signed in 2021.
New data on how homeless funding was spent should be available as soon as July, Marshall said, adding that the state is “working through data quality issues.”
A frustrated Ting said: “That sounds like an excuse.”
Last month’s state audit found that Marshall’s board failed to evaluate the program’s success or consistently monitor spending. The audit says California “needs to do more to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of its homelessness programs.”
Megan Kirkeby, deputy director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development, said cities and counties that received certain grants were not previously required to show the state how they spent anti-drug program funding. ‘roaming.
“I don’t think it’s something to be proud of. I don’t think it’s something that does us any good. I don’t think it’s something we accept,” Kirkeby said, adding that the state has made significant progress and is in “the early stages of a culture change.”
The results of the audit have reignited the debate on the role of state and local authorities in managing the crisis.
Last month, Newsom, a Democrat, called for more oversight of cities and counties and threatened to deny homeless funding to those who don’t produce results, saying, “I’m no longer interested in a failure of financing. »
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, all Democrats, and other leaders from California’s largest cities visited the state Capitol on last month to push for increased funding for the homeless.
Newsom has proposed ending grants given to some cities and counties since 2019 to combat homelessness, while maintaining other programs dedicated to the crisis, as he and lawmakers negotiate over how to reduce the deficit budgetary.
Gloria on Monday urged lawmakers to increase that funding by $1 billion, pointing to recently compiled data showing at least 150,000 people have benefited from programs in Fresno, Riverside and other cities.
“We’re happy to be held accountable,” Gloria said.
Republicans have pointed to the lack of data as a consequence of Democrats’ strong hold on power in Sacramento, with some suggesting that spending has gone unchecked due to one-party rule.
“The bottom line is we need to stop measuring success by how many dollars we spend,” said Assembly Member Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), who was among those who called for an audit of the State. “I am frustrated by the lack of urgency I see today and the lack of data. »
Democrats also expressed frustration with city and county leaders who are asking for more money — and with Newsom officials who couldn’t provide them with the information they sought.
“We can’t just spend money to solve a problem without knowing if we’re spending the money wisely, in the most cost-effective way,” said Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates). . “This shouldn’t be a reason for us to stop tackling this crisis, but we need to be smarter about how we spend money.”
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