Dive Brief:
- San Jose, California, entered into an agreement with the California Department of Transportation to dismantle homeless encampments on state rights-of-way within the city, joining 21 other cities that have similar agreements with Caltrans.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the partnership “streamlines” encampment clearings by aligning how the city conducts removals with state and local policies. But San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan pushed back, saying on social media, “We are literally taking over the maintenance of state land because they can’t do it.”
- Caltrans has ramped up encampment removals within San Jose, removing 115 encampments between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, an increase of 50% from the previous fiscal year, according to the state.
Dive Insight:
California, often considered the epicenter of the nation’s homelessness crisis, has been cracking down on homeless encampments in recent years. The state said it has cleared more than 18,000 encampments along state rights-of-way since 2021.
Newsom, emboldened by a 2024 Supreme Court decision allowing cities to enact camping bans, has urged cities to outlaw homeless encampments.
In August, Newsom formed a statewide task force to oversee homeless encampment removals. He has tied the encampment clearings to a downward trend in unsheltered homelessness recorded in California cities this year.
San Jose, for its part, has enacted “no encampment zones” within the city. It began clearing its largest homeless encampment in August, KQED reported.
As part of the city’s agreement with Caltrans, San Jose maintenance and landscape crews will be responsible for cleaning the state rights-of-way of litter and other debris following encampment removals.
“I’m glad to see San Jose stepping up with the state to reduce unsheltered homelessness and address encampments in the city,” Newsom said in a statement. “As a former mayor myself, I get how tough local management can be — but this is what partnership looks like – the city and state rolling up their sleeves to support this community together.”
