Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton announced a plan at a San Diego news conference to eliminate every homeless encampment in California by the end of 2027.
Under the proposal, the state would create a network of Homeless Recovery Centers, modeled on the Sunbreak Ranch project in San Diego County, according to the Hilton campaign.
The centers would offer beds, meals, showers, medical services, drug treatment, psychiatric care and job training. Campaign officials said each resident would be assigned a case manager or other designated support person to help secure stable housing, with ongoing services available for those who need them.
“No one is going to get their life back on track on the streets,” Hilton said. “We are going to get people off the streets and into a place where they can actually get help.”
California had 181,934 homeless residents in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2025 count, including 115,583 people living without shelter, Hilton said. He also pointed to nearly $24 billion the state has allocated to homelessness and housing in recent years, while noting that the state auditor found California had not consistently tracked how the money was spent or whether programs produced results.
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Hilton said he would meet with mayors and county leaders during his first month in office to establish public deadlines for clearing encampments. His plan sets Labor Day 2027 as the deadline for local officials and Dec. 31, 2027, as the final date for clearing every encampment statewide.
He also intends to declare a homelessness emergency, which would allow the state to waive certain permitting obstacles. Once suitable facilities are available, his administration would enforce public camping bans and conduct a homelessness spending audit through an initiative called Operation Zero Waste, redirecting funds from programs deemed ineffective.
If local officials fail to act, Hilton said the state would intervene. “Leaving people to deteriorate in tents is a disgrace,” he said.
“By the end of 2027, every encampment will be cleared, and Californians will have their sidewalks and parks back.”
The campaign for Hilton’s opponent, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
