Newsom concedes California’s housing crisis is fair criticism

Barnini ChakrabortySeptember 12, 2026

Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, acknowledges that the state’s housing and homelessness issues are legitimate concerns. In an interview with the Washington Examiner, he describes housing as California’s “original sin,” blaming decades of restrictive advancement policies for increasing costs, driving working families out of the state, and contributing to homelessness. Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, recognizes the state’s housing and homelessness crises as pressing issues. in an interview with the Washington Examiner, he referred to housing as California’s “original sin,” attributing the problems to decades of restrictive development policies that have fueled rising costs, pushed working families out of the state, and exacerbated homelessness.

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) acknowledges that one of the most persistent criticisms of his state — its housing and homelessness crisis — has merit.

Newsom, in a wide-ranging interview with the Washington Examiner, called housing California’s “original sin,” arguing that decades of restrictive development policies drove up costs, pushed working families out of the state, and contributed to homelessness.