Governor Newsom's Tiny Home Plan Falls Short Of What Was Promised

Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, May 30, 2024:

• 175 tiny homes for the unhoused are expected to be unveiled in South Sacramento this fall. That’s a year past Governor Gavin Newsom’s projected launch. But it turns out, it’s the only project delivering on the original promise. 
• Classes will once again be held online at UC Santa Cruz on Thursday as a group of pro-Palestinian protesters say they plan to continue to block the main entrance to the campus. On Tuesday, both roads leading into campus were blocked, leaving many drivers stranded for hours. The university has denounced the blockade, calling it an extremely dangerous situation.  
• At UC Davis on Wednesday, a dozen students held a peaceful demonstration on campus in support of the 125 Israeli hostages that remain in Gaza. The student group Aggies for Israel organized the event to show a different perspective from those in the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus.
• Democratic legislative leaders in both the state Assembly and Senate have released their counter proposal to Governor Newsom’s revised budget. It would restore some funding to a variety of social service programs, while focusing more on a reduction in prison funding.

Governor Newsom’s Tiny Home Plan Faces Challenges 

In March 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom told a crowd assembled at Cal Expo in Sacramento that the state would help local governments address the homelessness crisis. He announced that the California National Guard would deliver 1,200 tiny homes to four jurisdictions: Sacramento would receive 350 homes, Los Angeles would get 500, San Jose would receive 200 and San Diego County would get 150.

In October, Sacramento officials announced it had identified a site for half of the tiny homes in the city, an empty lot next to a never-occupied strip mall in South Sacramento. Construction on that site started this March, and is expected to be completed in the fall of this year. 

It turns out, that site is the only one the state will actually deliver. The state Department of General Services told jurisdictions late last year it would not be providing them tiny homes — it would cut them a check, and they could buy the units at a reduced rate.

Protesters Block Main Entrance To UC Santa Cruz Campus 

UC Santa Cruz moved classes online through Thursday after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the campus’ two entrances on Tuesday.

The protests came the same day the university resumed in-person instruction after a week of remote instruction prompted by the academic workers’ strike that began May 20.

At about 1 p.m., access to the campus via its two entrances was blocked by several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters. The blockades prevented some people from coming and going until about 5 p.m., according to a statement from Chancellor Cynthia Larive sent to the campus community on Tuesday evening. Larive called the blockades “an extremely dangerous effort to cause intentional harm.”

Demonstration Held At UC Davis In Support Of Israeli Hostages

On Wednesday, students held a peaceful demonstration on campus in support of the 125 Israeli hostages that remain in Gaza.

It was organized by the student group Aggies for Israel. The group taped photos of Israeli hostages to a table about 50 yards from the campus’ pro-Palestinian encampment this week. While the encampment has gained more attention, organizers say they don’t want people to forget the hostages, who have yet to come home.

Lawmakers Introduce Counter Proposal To Gov. Newsom’s Spending Plan 

Amid ongoing budget negotiations, legislative leaders on Wednesday released their counter proposal to a recent plan by Gov. Gavin Newsom to close California’s projected multibillion-dollar deficit.

The proposal rejects some of the major spending cuts Newsom is seeking, including to college scholarships for middle-income students, public health programs, subsidized child care slots and housing development, while pushing for more substantial reductions to prison funding.

The Legislature has until June 15 to pass a balanced budget or lose its pay. The start of the fiscal year is July 1.