Democrats give Newsom a B for homelessness as Republicans give him a failing grade

None of the Democratic candidates running for outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom gave him below a “B-minus” grade on combating homelessness – a moment when Republicans shared the debate stage Wednesday evening that called for a ludicrous examination of the state’s problem.

“My God, it’s an F,” said Steve Hilton, former Fox News anchor.

“It’s a disgrace to our state, the state of homelessness. We have about 10% of the US population, about 50% of the homeless population in the country,” he continued.

This time has forced four members of the Democratic Alliance to think about efforts to end the problem that has been getting worse in recent years despite the funding of billions. It also highlighted the reluctance among Democrats to criticize Newsom, who has yet to make a compromise in the race.

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“I’m a very difficult student, but I would give him a B on homelessness,” said Katie Porter, a former Democratic congresswoman.

“I don’t think it was an easy problem to solve, but I really admire him for drawing attention to this problem.”

Tom Steyer, the candidate turned billionaire businessman, put Newsom’s performance in the same ballpark.

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“So I’m going to give the governor a B-minus on this,” Steyer said.

But another Democrat, former US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, said the grade was too low, citing Newsom’s “effort.”

“I would say the governor has made efforts. We’ve seen him come down to Los Angeles, actually go out and try to clean up some of these streets. For effort, I’d give him an A,” Becerra said.

Matt Mahan, Xavier Becerra, Chad Bianco, Steve Hilton, Tom Steyer and Katie Porter appear during the gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, US, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, with the top two winners advancing to the November general election regardless of party affiliation. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg – Pool/Getty Images)

California reported 161,400 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in 2024, according to the California Senate Housing Committee.

The numbers are higher than when Newsom took office in January 2019.

That year, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development put California’s homeless population at 108,400 – 32% below 2024 levels.

Persistently high rates blocked billions in subsidies to lower prices. California has spent nearly $20 billion on homeless programs from 2019 to 2025, according to the California Budget and Policy Center, a left-leaning think tank.

In a 2023 interview with Newsom on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted the extent of the homeless problem by holding up a map of San Francisco, detailing more than 270,000 reported cases of feces found on the city’s streets, which was dubbed the “poop map” on social media.

For Republican candidate Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff, it’s clear the problem has nothing to do with money.

“It’s a terrible mistake and anyone who says it isn’t is fooling themselves — or trying to fool the voters,” Bianco said.

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A homeless person removes trash from a homeless encampment on the side of a street in Los Angeles, California, on Aug. 6, 2025. (Qian Weizhong/VCG)

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“We are not dealing with homeless people, so stop calling homeless people. It has nothing to do with homes. These people are suffering from drugs and alcohol and mental illness,” he added.

California will hold its gubernatorial primary on June 2. The top two candidates will advance to the general election on Nov. 3, according to the California Secretary of State.