California Governor Gavin Newsom would very much like to be president. As one of the Democratic Party’s more charismatic leaders, he certainly has a shot. But Newsom’s presidential ambitions are burdened by the sorry state in which his leadership has left California — the cost of living is sky high, crime is out of control, and the middle class is disappearing. His constituents are voting with their feet, the largest percentage finding refuge in the two states Newsom loves to ridicule: Texas and Florida

Homelessness is perhaps the greatest albatross around the governor’s neck. With 187,000 homeless persons, California has one-quarter of America’s homeless population. A staggering two-thirds of homeless Californians are unsheltered. (RELATED: Will California Go Forward or Backward on Homelessness?)

But Newsom wants to assure every decent American that California’s homelessness crisis is not his fault. At least, that seems to be the subtext of his recent statement calling out California’s cities for not doing their part. “Local leaders asked for resources, [and] we delivered the largest state investment in history,” the governor announced. “The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.” 

Newsom’s attempt to pass the buck is unconvincing. Even his sympathetic hometown paper described the move as “cheap PR” designed to scapegoat municipal governments for his failures.