On July 15, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that aimed to increase transparency and accountability in the state’s homeless assistance program, citing similar provisions already included in the state’s 2024 budget.
The AB2570 bill, introduced by State Assemblyman Joe Patterson, received bipartisan support. It originally required the “Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Program” (HHAP, which provides grants to local governments) to submit annual operational and achievement reports to the governor and the legislature. The reports would include information on the number of housing units assisted by the funding, the number of individuals and families served, the distribution of housing across the state, the amount of public and private funds used, and detailed information on the assistance provided.
In his veto message, Newsom stated that the bill was “redundant” as the recently passed 2024-2025 budget included SB166, which already mandated increased transparency and reporting for these housing programs.
SB166 is a follow-up bill that clarifies details in the state budget, requiring all homeless-related programs seeking funding in 2025 to submit an action plan demonstrating performance and improvements by January 31, 2027. The bill’s accountability measures include reducing both existing and new homeless populations, increasing the number of individuals in permanent housing, and evaluating progress in the “Homeless Management Information System” overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Due to the overlap between SB166 and AB2570, the governor expressed his inability to support the latter, stating that it would bring unnecessary workload for relevant departments without providing additional accountability or transparency to taxpayers.
The bill’s sponsor emphasized its unanimous bipartisan support in the legislature (despite 13 lawmakers not voting) and argued that his bill was more detailed and requested additional specifics.
“This is a bipartisan bill with no opposition,” Patterson told The Epoch Times via email on July 16. “It is clear that the legislature agrees that the wasteful spending on ineffective homeless programs by Newsom needs to be constrained.”
Patterson also pointed out that a report from the state auditor in April found that the $24 billion spent by California on homelessness from 2018 to 2023 was difficult to track and showed unclear effectiveness, with an increase in homeless population during the same period.
The audit report stated: “Due to the state government’s inconsistent tracking and evaluation, current information on costs and outcomes is lacking… for efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”
Patterson claimed that his bill could complement the budget and stressed the need for the state government to further control spending and strengthen accountability mechanisms. He said, “While we have successfully included some preventive measures in the budget, the state government should not skimp on accountability when allocating tens of billions of taxpayer dollars, especially as the problem worsens.”
The governor also called for increased accountability for the HHAP program, which provides one-time grants to local governments for developing or expanding existing services. Newsom’s May budget proposal had initially cut $260 million from HHAP funding, but it was opposed by the state legislature, leading to the allocation of the full $1 billion in the final budget.
Funds allocated to cities and counties will be used for outreach services, relocation, operational subsidies, homeless prevention, and providing housing units. HHAP has received nearly $4 billion in funding over the past five years, with recent funding rounds adding accountability measures, including requiring applicants to develop specific action plans and performance goals.