By Jorge Casuso

October 1, 2024 -- For the second time this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom last Wednesday vetoed an unopposed bill that would have provided more oversight over homelessness spending.

Since 2018, California has spent nearly $24 billion in taxpayer dollars on homelessness programs, while the State's homeless population has grown 32 percent to 181,000 people, according to the latest data.

“Our state has spent billions of taxpayer dollars in recent years only to see homelessness get worse," said Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), the bill's sponsor.

"We will not solve this crisis and get people the help they need until we get serious about accountability,” Hoover said in a statement Monday.

In a veto message, Newsom said Assembly Bill 2903 -- which garnered unanimous bipartisan support in the Legislature -- replicates budget laws passed this year that require regular reports on the state’s two largest homelessness grant programs.

“While I fully support efforts to increase accountability and the effectiveness of our state homelessness programs, similar measures are already in place,” Newsom wrote.

He said the reports on the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program (HHAP), which provides about $1 billion a year to local governments, and an encampment resolution program will be made publicly available by the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH).

In a press release Monday, Hoover "expressed deep disappointment" that Newsom "rejected the recommendations of the State Auditor" and vetoed the bill.

The audit requested by Hoover and conducted by the California State Auditor "revealed that the state has failed to systematically track homelessness spending and is not adequately positioned to collect data and assess outcomes," the press release said.

“Governor Newsom had an opportunity to do what is right and hold his own agencies accountable for our state’s failed response to homelessness,” Hoover said.

“Californians deserve better,” he said. “They deserve transparency and accountability in how their tax dollars are spent, especially on such a critical issue.

"I will continue to fight for meaningful reforms to address our state’s homelessness crisis.”

AB 2903 was the second unopposed Republican-sponsored bill vetoed by Newsom this year that would have increased oversight over homelessness spending.

This summer, the Governor rejected a bill authored by Assemblyman Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) that would have required the state to evaluate the money it gives to local governments for homelessness programs.

Newsom said the bill was "redundant" and would create “unnecessary ongoing workload.”

In Santa Monica, a 2022 audit report found the City spends an estimated $42.5 million a year on homeless programs and services but lacks a specific plan and the data needed to gauge whether its efforts are paying off ("City Spends More than $40 Million on Homelessness But Lacks Way to Gauge Progress," December 1, 2022).