Newsom blasts Democrats for their 'victim mentality' that enabled homeless crisis

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke to podcaster and academic Scott Galloway on Thursday about how the Democratic Party has made major missteps in recent years that continue to damage its reputation.

On the "The Prof G Pod" podcast, Galloway pointed to Los Angeles as an example: "LA does feel like as a proxy for — if Democrats can't figure out a way to run cities and operate them well, we're just going to have trouble across the whole federal stack in terms of elections."

While Newsom said that progress has been made in California, he admitted it has not been visible or felt as much as it should.

"The ultimate manifestation of that failure, the byproduct of the affordability crisis, what's happening as it relates to street homelessness," he said. "Unsheltered homelessness, encampments in particular, the permissiveness particularly that came at peak during and after COVID as it relates to tents out on the streets and sidewalks, the quality of life, the diminution of quality of life and this notion that we couldn't do anything about it."

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California Governor Gavin Newsom has touted what progress California has made in tackling the homeless crisis, but was resolute that much more needs to be done. (Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Newsom argued that the inability of local leaders to take action on the issue reflected "this sort of victim mindset that, frankly, was almost universal with many of the leaders in local government."

"Somehow we were applying the standard that it was compassionate to step over people in the streets and the sidewalks in the name of, you know, their personal liberty," he said. "When, in fact, the degradation of the communities, the businesses that were impacted by that, the family structure — you know, mom that just wants to walk his or her kid down to the playground, or in the stroller — was outraged and furious and didn't trust government."

"And so it is the issue that defines people's angers. It's the issue that defines my anger as governor," Newsom added. "Here's the good news. For the first time in close to two decades, Scott — no other governor has been able to say this in decades — we've seen almost a double-digit decrease in unsheltered homeless in the state of California."

Galloway noted that he loves visiting the LA area where he was born and raised but that he typically only stays in the "bubble" of a nice hotel where people come to visit him. 

"Whenever I step outside of my bubble, I'm somewhat rattled by the extreme homelessness," he said.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom mocked the belief among some liberals that the homeless have an all-American right to languish in public spaces. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images; Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Newsom touted progress on the homeless issue in California, including in LA, due to new policies in the state that didn't exist six or seven years ago.

"Again, the state had no homeless strategy, no homeless plan. It was not there for the cities and counties," he said, noting various reforms, including using more coercion to get people off the streets.

"And again, it's a flywheel. Progress has finally been made, but it does mark, you're right, so much the anger and frustration, particularly in the country's second-largest city, LA," Newsom added.

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Homelessness spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in Democratic cities. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Later in the conversation, Newsom was asked about what actions he was proud of and which he regretted during his governorship. 

"You know, I think the biggest problem with the Democratic Party is we're perceived, rightfully, as too slow, weak, and ineffective," he said. "We got to be more aggressive, stronger, more assertive, more clear, more conviction."

He also noted that Americans are more wary of the government after experiencing missteps during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"You know, we lost a lot of trust during COVID, and we haven't gotten that back," he said. "And I think we've under-indexed how so much has changed since COVID, and I was a little slow at understanding how much had changed."

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"So it's not a specific action per se," he said of trying to recall an action he is proud of or that missed the mark. "But it's, I think, just broader tonal appreciation that everything had changed, but I hadn't changed to the degree that I should as a leader of the fourth-largest economy in the world. I have begun to address that in much more robust ways, but I think that would be something I would reflect on as a point of critique and consideration."