The keynote speaker during Tuesday's State of the Downtown gathering in Sacramento was Dr. David Drew Pinsky, more commonly known as Dr. Drew. He's an internist who is know as a doctor to the celebrities, he has dedicated years to work as an addiction medicine specialist, and as a media personality.
Dr. Pinsky arrived in Sacramento eary, walked the city streets, observed people living on those streets, and based on his history as a mental health care practitioner came away from the experience with the opinion that homelessness in the area is more of a mental health problem than a housing problem.
Governor Gavin Newsom, members of his homelessness committee, and state lawmakers has frequently pointed to a lack of affordable housing as the primary cause of California's growing homelessness problem.