*Preview* Cooking the books in CA homeless counts

**This is a preview of our premium Saturday show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.** What happens when California politicians place their careers ahead of fighting the homelessness crisis? They leave millions on the table that could have served their unhoused constituents. Today we're discussing Sacramento Bee columnist Robin Epley's jarring piece showing that Sacramento County shut itself out of some $21 million that could have helped ameliorate the region's homelessness crisis (free link). All so the region's local officials could pat themselves on one another's backs for a year. The 2024 homelessness count showed a stunning--and spurious--drop in homelessness numbers, which went against everything residents in the county experienced that year. Now, new numbers show that the count was likely a devastating undercount that cut the region out of much needed homeless service funding. We also touch on Sac Bee reporter Theresa Clift's newest three-part series outlining just how badly Sacramento politicians have been handling the region's homeless crisis (free link). Do you have a similar story in your corner of the state? Let us know at [email protected]. Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms. Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at [email protected]. We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social