Staff Reports
A blunt state audit has exposed what every hardworking taxpayer suspected: California flushed roughly $24 billion into homelessness and housing programs over five years with no reliable way to show whether any of it actually worked. The California State Auditor’s report found the state lacked consistent tracking and evaluation of those programs, leaving voters in the dark about outcomes for huge sums of money. This is not a policy disagreement — it is accountability 101, and Sacramento has failed the public.
The audit makes plain that the California Interagency Council on Homelessness stopped consistently tracking spending and results after 2021, even as new programs and billions more in funding were added. Nine agencies and at least 30 separate programs mean paper trails were scattered across bureaucracies that never aligned on measurement or performance. When political managers prioritize feel‑good announcements over measurable results, taxpayers lose and the problem persists.
Meanwhile, homelessness did not miraculously vanish — hundreds of thousands of Californians remain unhoused, with point‑in‑time counts in the six figures that reflect policy failure, not success. The state’s own numbers and journalists’ summaries confirm that the crisis has not been solved despite the massive spending spree. That reality should infuriate anyone who pays taxes and expects basic stewardship of public funds.
Even worse, the auditors found only two of the programs reviewed showed signs of cost‑effectiveness, while billions remain essentially unevaluated for impact. That means roughly $9 billion-plus was poured into initiatives without the data needed to know whether the money helped or simply enabled bureaucratic expansion. This is the predictable consequence when ideology trumps results: more money thrown at the same broken approaches with no meaningful reform.
Local agencies didn’t cover themselves in glory either — cities from San Diego to Los Angeles have been called out for poor oversight, mismanaged contracts, and unaccounted spending that only deepens public distrust. When municipal authorities can’t show where millions went or whether programs reduced sleeping on sidewalks, it’s beyond time for leadership changes and criminal referrals where warranted. Taxpayer patience is not infinite; communities deserve results and respect for property rights and public safety.
There are practical, proven steps conservatives have been urging: prioritize housing conversions that actually get people off the street, pair resources with mandatory treatment for severe mental illness and addiction when appropriate, and stop funding programs that refuse rigorous evaluation. The audit itself notes that converting motels into housing and prevention payments showed promise — common‑sense, cost‑effective measures that should be scaled, not sidelined for symbolic spending. If policymakers want more money, they must first show that existing dollars are tracked, accounted for, and producing exits from homelessness.
The bottom line is simple: Californians will not accept endless spending without outcomes. Voters should demand audits, clawbacks, public dashboards of spending and outcomes, and an end to the political theater that treats taxpayers like an ATM. It’s time for accountability, common sense, and policies that restore safety, dignity, and opportunity — not another round of hollow announcements and empty budgets.
