- Caitlyn Jenner said tents in Beverly Hills are the latest sign of California’s homelessness crisis.
- She said tents used to only be in downtown Los Angeles but have now spread to the upscale neighborhood.
- Jenner is running to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom in a special recall election.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
California GOP gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner said the presence of tents in Beverly Hills is the latest sign of the state’s homelessness crisis.
“When you drive in Beverly Hills and you look at the park, and there’s tents in the park, we have to look at that issue very seriously,” Jenner said in an interview on the Fox LA show “The Issue Is” that aired Friday.
Jenner said homelessness is a top concern for Californians.
“But to be honest with you on a big picture, living in a tent in a park in Beverly Hills, it’s just different today. Before, the homeless were all downtown. I’m sure you’ve been downtown. I mean, you walk down there, and it’s just like so tough, so difficult on these people,” Jenner said.
Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a $12 billion proposal to fund affordable housing and increase social services that would help move people off the streets. If approved, the plan would provide housing for 65,000 people and stabilize housing for thousands more.
Jenner is running to unseat Newsom in a special recall election after a GOP-led effort to challenge the governor collected enough signatures. She said it’s difficult to build affordable housing in the state because of too many regulations, specifically citing the California Environmental Quality Act as an issue.
Jenner said she would relax environmental restrictions in order to streamline building permits and work with charitable groups to increase affordable housing.
Jenner, a former Olympian and reality TV star, has no prior political experience, but said her experience in business makes her qualified to be governor.
“I have been in the entrepreneurial world,” she said. “People think – you’ve been in show business, think of you as a reality star. Certainly, I’ve done that, but entertainment is a business, and you have to run that business.”
Last month, Jenner was accused of being out of touch after she suggested support for public transportation was unnecessary while making repeated references to her private jet during an interview with Fox News personality Sean Hannity.
“Here’s my crazy thinking. We are now spending billions of dollars on this high-speed rail, OK, and they talk about it all the time, between LA and San Francisco. And I’m going, ‘Why are we doing that?’ I can get on a plane at LAX, and I’ll be in San Francisco in 50 minutes. Why do we need high-speed rail?” Jenner said, referring to an ongoing project intended to transport travelers from Anaheim and Los Angeles to San Francisco in under three hours.