Homelessness remains a top concern that Californians want to be addressed, but a bill that would have mandated encampments be cleared in front of public areas like schools, parks, libraries, and daycare centers stalled in the Senate Public Safety Committee March 28.
Senate Bill 31—authored by Sen. Brian Jones (R-San Diego)—would make sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property upon any street, sidewalk, or other public rights-of-way within 1,000 feet of a sensitive area an alternative misdemeanor or infraction.
The five-member committee voted 1 to 1 on the bill with three members abstaining, but voted unanimously, however, to consider it again before the end of April.
“Encampments line nearly every block. Children are being exposed to open drug use and dangerous situations. Our current approach to homelessness is clearly failing and Californians are tired of it,” Jones told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.
He said the bill, which is supported by over 1,000 individuals who have signed a petition in favor of it, is a “compassionate” approach to clearing encampments, which exploded across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic when large cities like Los Angeles rolled back anti-camping policies to allow the homeless to shelter-in-place.
“Our bipartisan measure would compassionately clear encampments near sensitive areas to protect our kids,” Jones said. “It’s a shame that the Democrat-led Senate Public Safety Committee doesn’t understand the necessity to protect our most vulnerable population. The bill was granted reconsideration and we will continue pushing to pass this commonsense measure.”
The bill has received support from several politicians in the state, including San Diego Board of Supervisor Jim Desmond.
“Some may say it’s inhumane to force people off the streets and into treatment, but I think it’s more inhumane to keep people on the streets,” Desmond said in a statement March 28.
Additionally, according to El Cajon Police Department Chief Mike Moulton, law enforcement face challenges addressing homelessness in San Diego, because officers “are focused on protecting the public, but oftentimes, our hands are tied due to legal constraints,” he said in a statement.
Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) was one of the abstaining votes, arguing during the committee meeting that cities and counties can make their own rules regarding encampment laws. Sens. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) and Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) also abstained.
The bill is opposed by nearly 100 organizations, including Abundant Housing LA, Alameda County Homeless Action Center, the California Public Defenders Association, and ACLU California Action.
Carlos Marquez, director of ACLU California Action—a branch of the ACLU, told the committee during the hearing that Jones has good intentions with the bill, but remains “strenuously opposed” to a statewide encampment ban.
Additionally, National Alliance to End Homelessness policy fellow Alex Visotzky called the bill in a Twitter post after the vote a “cruel policy that’d make homelessness worse.”
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