California is spending $24 billion on the homeless crisis over
the past five years,
but they didn't track whether the enormous amount of money
actually helped fix the problem,
according to a state audit.
Our next guest says he has advocated for a federal
audit from the beginning.
It's Republican Senate candidate and former Major League Baseball infielder
Steve Garvey,
who joins us now. Steve,
great to see you. Glad to have you on the
program.
Could you see an old sportscaster
this early in the morning?
Thanks, Will. Love to connect.
This is crazy. I mean,
if you're going to spend that much money,
shouldn't you know where it's going to go in California?
Oh, absolutely, Will. And you know,
I started my journey about nine months ago and determining
the there was a pathway to running for the US
Senate.
And I went from the southern border of California
to see what was actually happening there.
And then I went to the homeless encampments in San
Diego,
Los Angeles and Sacramento. And I was stunned.
I was stunned to see how it deteriorated from the
50 years ago
that I first came to California,
put on a Dodger uniform for the first time,
had a wonderful 20 year career
and then started building businesses,
but had a passion for this state that I love.
And the passionate issues are the border,
and it is homelessness. And there are answers
getting back to $25 billion
in the last three years.
10 years ago there was about,
oh, I would say around 100,000 homeless in California.
We have a third of the homeless
in the United States. But since that time,
we're up to about 186,000 homeless now,
16% more in the last year.
And that's with $30 billion
being sent in California. There's a lack of oversight.
The California Interagency Council on Homelessness Stop counting or trying
to figure out where the money was going in 21.
They've reignited that. But let's face it,
this is one of the most compassionate issue in our
lives.
These people are disenfranchised. They're suffering physically,
mentally and spiritually. The streets are full.
There's a 50 square block area in Los Angeles of
homeless,
of encampments, people walking the streets.
Steve, why is it like that?
Like why? Why does California have a third of the
nation's homeless?
And why is it happening in the face of spending
$25 billion to try to at least
in in in words or deed,
not if not deeds, solve this problem of homelessness?
Well, well, obviously it's because the weather in California,
you know, it's it's good.
But I think The thing is,
it's a lack of leadership.
You know, when I started
six months ago when I first announced about running for
the US Senate,
I talked to people up and down the state and
this is rampant up and down.
The state remembers when Santa Monica was this vibrant area
and 3rd St.
and the shops were open.
Now they're encampments there and they're homeless,
walking on the beach and and stores are shut because
also what comes with homelessness is crime.
The drug dealers are there.
There's a an element that just is so sad to
see.
So when I walked the streets and I actually got
down and talked to the people,
I asked them how did this start?
Well, it was the economy 3 three years ago,
or this or that, or I got addicted to drugs.
But it's really a failure of leadership.
People have come up to me when I start talking
about homelessness.
And they said, Steve, the reason we're voting for you
is we feel that you're going to have the political
courage to get things done and not throw money at
it. And that's what my opponents have done.
They've throw money at it.
When I've said I've been to the bore,
oh everybody, oh, I've been there.
They haven't been there in years because they don't want
to deal with something like this.
Let's get people engaged. I would love to see the
private
sector investment banking that are doing great again,
this big disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street get
involved in in this,
in this whole homelessness. And I guarantee you if it's
private sector and when I get back to Washington,
a federal audit that will get to the bottom of
this will make a difference.
Well, I think it's definitely leadership because it's tolerated if
not incentivized in many of those cities.
And look, I was there 30 years ago and it
was bad and I know it's only gotten worse.
Steve Garvey, great to talk to you this morning.
Thank you.
Oh, it's a pleasure.