SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom has kicked off California's $1.1 billion plan to clean trash and graffiti from California’s highways, roads and other public spaces.
He says the effort will beautify the state and create as many as 11,000 jobs.
Newsom said Wednesday that at-risk youth and people who were formerly homeless or formerly incarcerated will be given priority for the jobs created by the three-year program.
The cleanup comes amid growing frustration with homeless encampments that have sprouted under highway overpasses and near freeway exit and entry ramps in recent years. Many are crammed with discarded sofas, mattresses and other trash.