California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday the state revoked a southern California city's compliance with housing laws, a move that could effectively force the city of Norwalk to approve new homeless shelters, which were recently banned in the city.
"After the state has provided cities and counties with unprecedented funding to address the homelessness crisis, it's beyond cruel that Norwalk would ban the building of shelters while people are living on the city's streets," Newsom said in a statement.
Norwalk leaders said at a city council meeting this week they would hold off enforcing the ban while they work with the state to find an agreeable path forward. But that wasn't enough for Newsom and the state's Housing and Community Development department, who expected a repeal of the ordinance.
Norwalk leaders wouldn't agree to an interview on the ban or the legal fight with the state. At the city council meeting, Norwalk City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman said, "It was always the city council's first priority to take action to protect and preserve the safety of the city's residents and neighborhoods."
"This claim is rooted in the false belief that people experiencing homelessness are dangerous," said Jesse Rabinowitz, Communications Director with the National Homelessness Law Center.
Using Los Angeles as a case study, police data since 2020 shows just 5% of reported crimes involved a perpetrator who was homeless. About half of those crimes were non-violent.
Since the homeless population makes up just over 1% of the population in LA, crime is disproportionately higher among folks experiencing homelessness.
One 2018 study said most reported crimes perpetrated by people experiencing homelessness were things like loitering, trespassing and vagrancy.
"We feel confident that the city has it backwards here," said David Zisser, assistant deputy of housing policy with California's Department of Housing and Community Development. "Getting people off the street and into affordable safe housing is good for public safety and public health, not bad for it."
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While Norwalk leaders wouldn't agree to an interview, the city showed Scripps News the efforts they are making to combat homelessness. The city's Homeless Operation Prevention and Engagement (HOPE) team is a combination of public safety officers and social workers who link people living on the streets with the services they need.
Public Safety Sergeant Leonardo Garcia is part of that team.
"I've gotten close to some of these individuals, and it took like five years for some of them to want help," Garcia said, describing the daily work of engaging with Norwalk's homeless residents. "Those services include anything from hygiene kits to food and water, clothing and even as far as transporting them to detox centers and shelters."
Garcia said he frequently transports people to the city's social services department, where Miguel Ochoa is among the workers trying to offer people sustained help to keep people off the street.
"Whether there's media attention or not media attention. We're here to serve the community," Ochoa said.
Ochoa grew up in Norwalk. Among the people he's helped: an old classmate.
"He was unhoused," Ochoa said. "I'm very happy to say that this individual is now housed. He has a roof over his head. And I'm very thankful that the social services department is here."
Still, the state doesn't see Norwalk's efforts as being enough.
"The city of Norwalk has only permitted about 3.5% of the units that they're supposed to be aiming for over an eight-year cycle," Zisser said. "They're more than a third of the way through that cycle, yet they've only permitted 3.5% of their goal. So, they're clearly not doing enough."
Yet cities across the country struggle to provide adequate housing. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition reports no state has enough of it.
"Cities like Norwalk deserve and need more support from the Biden administration and from Congress," Rabinowitz said.
While Norwalk and state leaders try to find a way out of their legal fight, workers are making steady progress on affordable units set to open this winter in Norwalk, a development that will dedicate a large portion of units to homeless veterans.
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