Republican businessman John Cox is taking on the problem of homelessness in California — one of the most pressing problems facing the state, and one that Democratic leaders statewide have been unable to solve.
On Wednesday, Cox visited the Eureka Rescue Mission in Eureka, California, on the northern coast of the state to learn about the work it does to help the burgeoning local homeless population.
Bryan Hall Sr., the center’s director, told the Eureka Times-Standard: “It’s rare to be visited by someone who is running for governor … It’s pretty neat he’s coming up here.”
Cox touted the center’s work as an example of what he would like to see throughout the state, according to the paper: “What solves the problem is getting people help. It doesn’t solve the problem to put people in injection sites or give them free clean needles, what solves the problem are transition centers like this one that can get people clean and sober, that can get them training, that can teach them a trade.”
The Republican also criticized environmental policies that make housing more difficult to build, and policies raise the cost of living in California, such as the gas tax. He is leading an effort to pass Proposition 6, which would repeal a gas tax increase passed last year by the legislature.
Last week, Cox visited Skid Row in Los Angeles and criticized his opponent, Democrat Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, for failing to solve the homelessness problem — which is especially bad in San Francisco, the city Newsom used to run as mayor.
Polls show Newsom ahead, but Cox has run a surprisingly competitive race in the Democrat-dominated state.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.