(NewsNation) — The streets of San Francisco were cleared of the homeless camps that typically occupy them and hosed down ahead of visits from foreign dignitaries for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Now, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing back on claims San Francisco cleared out the camps for the benefit of this week’s summit, which is set to host several world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Newsom admitted the big cleanup happened for APEC, but claims a push for change has been underway since earlier this year.

Miles of new security fencing now surrounds a 12-block area surrounding the Moscone Center where the event will be held. All the homeless people that previously lined streets in the area just weeks ago have been pushed into suddenly-available city beds or relocated to other parts of town overnight.

The city streets have also undergone a thorough power washing.

With San Francisco under an international spotlight, many residents are left wondering if the city can stay this clean and safe even after the dignitaries leave town.

The owner of an autobody shop near the forum venue told NewsNation he usually has to clear homeless people from in front of his shop in order to open, and customers are sometimes afraid to come in as a result.

The problems are less apparent now, but business owners are left wondering how long it will last.

Back in April, Newsom called in the National Guard to crack down on the city’s open-air drug markets. While there have been more arrests, the city has continued to deal with homelessness and drug activity.

“It’s hard to see that these problems can be addressed in a really short-sighted way for specific people to come into town. Yet the residents here are dealing with really, really heavy, really scary issues every day. And there isn’t a support for us,” said San Francisco resident Andrea Sendek.

Dax Englert, a property manager in the city, says the clearing of the streets is like “putting lipstick on a pig,” predicting things will return to the way they were next week.

“To say otherwise just means you’re not looking around. You know, just go where you see it all cleaned up and like ‘Boy, this is nice.’ Go to the fringes of that and you’ll see the truth.” Englert told NewsNation.

Over the weekend, a TV crew from the Czech Republic in town for APEC was robbed at gunpoint despite there being over 1,000 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies spread out across the city.