California Gov. Gavin Newsom is going after Turlock city leaders for not supporting a homeless shelter in the city.
Newsom said local leaders needed to step up to the plate and chided them for not being willing to spend $1 to support the We Care homeless shelter.
Driving the news: The Turlock City Council voted against writing a letter of support and allocating $1 so the shelter would be eligible to receive a state grant that totals over $260,000.
- The city’s decision to refuse supporting the grant application centers on a request to provide 24-hour bathrooms to the homeless people who use the shelter.
- We Care shelters 49 men every night for eight hours, leaving 16 hours in the day that need to be covered.
What they’re saying: Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak told ABC10 that the city wants the shelter to provide continual bathroom access, but the shelter did not initially agree to that request.
- “The $267,000 covers eight hours a day for six months. We have 16 hours a day that’s not covered – and no disrespect – but we need to have bathrooms available for them the rest of the time,” Bublak said. “Everywhere in the city, you hear that there’s just too much urinating and defecating all over, loitering in the businessway.”
- We Care staff member Corey Mai told CBS News that the shelter could close temporarily in June without the grant funding.
- Bublak asked We Care to use some of the grant funding to keep a bathroom open all day, but the shelter told the city that the grant is needed to cover operations. Mai offered to keep her office bathroom open for the homeless.
Newsom chimes in: Newsom took to X to go after Turlock for not supporting the shelter.
- “Truly a ridiculous lack of local leadership – an absolute moral failure,” Newsom wrote. “California has invested billions to combat homelessness. In Turlock, their only shelter is at risk over a single dollar. The state has done its part. Local leaders need to step up.”
The other side: Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil (R–Jackson), who represents Turlock, said in a statement that Newsom policies only drive up the cost for local taxpayers.
- “The governor’s attack on local leadership and the city of Turlock is a blatant overreach of executive power,” Alvarado-Gil said. “Forcing failed, one-size-fits-all policies onto the Central Valley only drives up costs for local taxpayers and further erodes community voices in local decisions. I stand firmly with Mayor Amy Bublak and support the city’s efforts to defend local control, hold We Care accountable, and act in the best interests of Turlock constituents.”
