Many Californians are wondering just what they have to do to get Governor Gavin Newsom to get the homeless off the streets. As it turns out, all you need to do is be one of his celebrity buddies.
According to text messages obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Newsom’s office became very proactive in helping clear a homeless encampment outside the home of the governor’s friend and podcast co-host, Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch. Lynch’s agent is also friends with the governor.
The homeless encampment became an issue in 2024, when an RV, a camper, and an SUV set up shop and backed up into the freeway. Lynch was far from the only resident to register a complaint. In fact, Oakland officials received 311 requests to disperse the Dover Street encampment.
However, one particular request seemed to go further up the chain than most.
“I got a call from the Governor’s office regarding a number of RVs that are parked out in front of Marshawn Lynch’s family home,” texted then-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s chief of staff to Oakland city administrators. “The Governor’s office is requesting our support to help resolve the issues in a timely manner.”
Thao has since been indicted on federal bribery charges.
Despite the “request” from Sacramento, the Oakland city administrators didn’t make any attempt to clear the encampment.
The chief of staff, Leigh Hanson, followed up a few days later with another request to clear out the homeless. Noting that pit bulls had begun taking over the neighborhood.
City officials mentioned sending in animal control to deal with the problem. However, it’s not clear whether any action was taken, and the encampment was never dispersed. Instead, a few months after Newson’s request, the encampment’s inhabitants moved out on their own in search of new digs.
Lynch has opted not to comment on the incident. Newsom’s office merely iterated that it made many requests of Thao’s office to deal with the problem of homeless encampments, all to no avail.
Newsom has gone to bat for Lynch before. In 2012, he called the NFL to vouch for Lynch when the then-Seahawk was facing disciplinary action for a DUI.