Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom called on cities Monday to prohibit homeless encampments on public property, using billions of dollars in state funding as leverage.

The new guidelines proposed by Newsom—seen as an early contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination—would bar people from erecting tents on public property, such as sidewalks, parks, and bike paths, and would forbid individuals from sleeping on streets with sleeping bags or blankets for more than three consecutive days, the Daily Wire reports.

“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets. Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity — the courts delivered,” Newsom said in a statement, per the New York Post.

Last year’s Supreme Court ruling upheld an Oregon law that prohibits camping on public property, and this guidance marks a significant shift in Newsom’s strategy for managing homelessness.

“Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses,” Newsom added.

That said, Newsom’s ordinance specifies that no one “should face criminal punishment for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go,” and further requires city officials to “make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter” and services to encampment residents.

While Newsom cannot mandate that municipalities adopt the ban, he has pledged about $3.3 billion in state funding to cities that follow his guidance.

The proposed model ordinance includes provisions for enforcement, with officials hoping it will help reshape California’s urban landscape while avoiding legal challenges. The initiative is backed by a measure approved by California voters, which Newsom supported, requiring counties to allocate funds toward housing and drug treatment programs to combat homelessness.

A 2024 statewide audit revealed that Newsom’s administration had spent $24 billion to tackle homelessness since 2019, yet the state still faced a record homeless population of 187,000, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Newsom’s shift towards more conservative policies on homelessness has faced criticism from many progressives leading up to the 2028 Democratic presidential primary. The progressive magazine Current Affairs has labeled Newsom as “not a progressive.”

“Gavin Newsom isn’t fighting homelessness, he’s fighting homeless people. Banning encampments won’t fix the housing crisis, but it will make life more miserable for those with nowhere to go,” the magazine wrote on X.