Californians are less concerned about homelessness

From CalMatters homelessness reporter Marissa Kendall:

There are still people living on the streets and sidewalks across the state, but Californians are starting to care a little less about homelessness, according to recent study.

Only 37 percent of Californians polled in October said they were “very concerned” about homelessness — down from 58 percent in 2019. Another 41 percent of Californians polled this year said they were “somewhat concerned.” This shows a survey of 1707 people from Public Policy Institute of California.

And while 20 percent of Californians said homelessness was the state’s top problem in 2020, only 6 percent said so this year. The decline was most notable in the Bay Area, where 28 percent of residents said they were very concerned about homelessness, compared to 63 percent in 2019.

However, most Californians still regularly see evidence of the homelessness crisis in their communities. More than half say they meet a homeless person every day, and two in 10 say they do so every few days.

This change in attitude comes amid several changes in the state’s homeless policy. A US Supreme Court decision last year gave cities more freedom to fine homeless people for sleeping outside, followed by iincrease in homelessness-related arrests and citations in California cities.

there was more than 187,000 Californians sleeping in shelters, on the street and in other uninhabitable places, according to the latest official estimate in January 2024. This year, several California counties reported a decrease in their homeless populations, suggesting the state may finally be making progress. But experts worry about the upcoming funding abbreviations for permanent residence and other services in both the state and the federal level will undermine those victories.

In a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, San Francisco plans to take on some of the biggest names in the food industry over the health harms associated with eating chips, cereal, packaged meals and other ultra-processed foods.

On Tuesday, City Attorney General David Chiu said San Francisco is suing 10 food companies that make ultra-processed foods, including Kraft Heinz Company, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, General Mills, Nestle USA and Kellogg.

Filed on behalf of the state of California in San Francisco Superior Court, the lawsuit seeks reimbursement for health care costs that local governments pay to treat residents suffering from illnesses related to eating highly processed foods. These foods make up about 70% of the country’s food supply and are linked to obesity, diabetes, cancer and other serious diseases.

• Chiu, at a press conference: “Like the tobacco industry, they knew their products made people sick, but hid the truth from the public, profited untold billions, and left Americans to deal with the consequences.”

The case follows California, which passed a phase-out law in October ultra-processed foods from school meals. It also comes as President Donald Trump’s administration — led by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again campaign — seeks to curb Americans’ consumption of ultra-processed foods.

From CalMatters economics reporter Levi Sumagasai:

Backers of two competing insurance regulation ballot initiatives have withdrawn their proposals from the 2026 ballot. Proposition 103, the law governing property insurance in California, remains intact.

In August, an independent insurance agent introduced a measure to weaken Proposition 103, and in a subsequent filing added a provision that would throw out California’s ability to approve insurer increases. The consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, whose founder wrote Prop. 103 in September filed a countermeasure this includes a requirement to issue a policyholder’s rights record.

Both sides agreed to withdraw their petitions Tuesday, Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court told CalMatters. But his group said there was “still a huge need for many of the other protections on the ballot” and that it could try again for the 2028 vote.

The insurance agent, Elizabeth Hammack, confirmed to CalMatters that she withdrew her offer, but said she did not want to explain why at this time.