Gavin Newsom Gets Heckled And Grilled As He Strolls Through Skid Row [WATCH]

A video circulating online captures California Governor Gavin Newsom facing backlash from residents during a visit to Los Angeles’ Skid Row on October 30.

Newsom, accompanied by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, initially held a press conference at the Downtown Women’s Center to discuss funding plans for homelessness in LA communities.

After the event, Newsom toured Skid Row, a notorious area overwhelmed by homeless encampments, where he was confronted by members of the Los Angeles Community Action Network.

Trump Surges To Victory – Get the Ultimate Trumpinator Bobblehead To Celebrate 2024!

The video shows a group of hecklers voicing frustration over what they see as a lack of meaningful action on homelessness. “You see how dirty these streets are? These streets ain’t been clean, the city didn’t bring one trash can,” one heckler shouted off-camera, according to the video footage.

Another heckler criticized Newsom for ignoring a woman he had passed who shared her story of losing her children while living in a tent on the streets.

How many homeless black men can Gavin Newsom ignore as he strolls through Skid Row sipping a latte? pic.twitter.com/qmgQ7aonRO

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) November 13, 2024

The tension escalated as Newsom responded, addressing the state’s efforts to tackle homelessness through the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program (HHAP).

“The HHAP money, the prioritization continues to be a framework about housing, services, shelters, all sleep housing and supporting services for homelessness,” Newsom replied. He added, “Interim housing has a role, property housing is important. I’m not opposed to shelters, but those are decisions for your local government.”

The exchange continued, with a cameraman challenging Newsom, “Yeah, but what counts as housing?” Newsom, visibly unfazed, continued walking as members of the group accused him of failing to bring substantial changes for the homeless.

At one point in the video, Newsom stopped, turned to face one of the hecklers, and, after letting the man finish, raised his hand and said, “Take care, man, alright, good to spend time with you.” The heckler retorted, “Do the right thing!”

After losing 24 BILLION taxpayer dollars pretending to solve homelessness, Gavin Newsom thought he could stroll through Skid Row for a photo op without getting mercilessly questioned and heckled.

Gavin was wrong. pic.twitter.com/ys5SUlBxLp

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) November 13, 2024

The criticism comes amid growing scrutiny of California’s homelessness crisis and budgetary issues.

The state currently faces a significant budget deficit, estimated at $45 billion, prompting proposed cuts in spending across multiple programs, including those supporting immigrants, kindergarteners, and low-income parents seeking child care.

Although California boasts the world’s fifth-largest economy, it has struggled to contain its homelessness crisis despite significant financial investments.

In the past five years, California has spent approximately $24 billion on homelessness initiatives.

However, a recent analysis revealed that the state failed to track the impact of this funding, leaving questions about its effectiveness as the number of unhoused individuals continues to grow.

Newsom has previously been pressed on California’s financial management and expenditure on homelessness.

Earlier this year, a reporter questioned him over the state’s spending practices, pointing out that the homelessness crisis has not abated despite considerable budget allocations.

The video of Newsom’s visit to Skid Row highlights the ongoing challenges he faces in addressing homelessness and balancing the state’s budget, as public frustration with California’s approach to the crisis continues to mount.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.