CNN viewers were left stunned after a person, who appeared to be a homeless woman, wandered into a live CNN broadcast from Santa Monica, California, on Monday morning. 

The video: As correspondent Sara Snider was reporting on a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the state and nationwide, the unidentified woman stopped in the background.

• The woman put down a garbage bag she was carrying, removed her pants and squatted on the beach. 
• It can be assumed she proceded to relieve herself.

The reactions: A number of Americans watching "CNN Newsroom" at home expressed shock and horror on social media. 

Holy shit, it's real....

I couldn't believe this is real... but it is. pic.twitter.com/hpe1J0gAeU

— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) July 7, 2020

California's homelessness crisis long predates its struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic. 

While U.S. statistics have shown a longterm downward trend in homelessness, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities in California and on the West Coast have struggled with vagrancy ― and the attendant toll of human waste.

• Liberal wonks have tended to blame rising costs of living, slow wage growth and lack of affordable housing.
• Conservatives have pointed to over-generous welfare programs, cultural decay and liberals’ reluctance to crack down on people they view as victims.