A bipartisan coalition of Democrat and Republican senators, led by Minority Leader Brian Jones—and joined by local officials and homeless advocates—last week unveiled Senate Bill 1011, which aims to “compassionately” clear homeless encampments across California.
“Californians should not have to tolerate the encampments that now fill our open spaces with trash, needles, and human waste,” Mr. Jones said during a press conference Feb. 6.
The San Diego Republican referenced recent events in San Francisco during the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference that took place in November—when leaders including Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited—and how quickly the city cleared homeless encampments in anticipation of their arrival.
“We know that clearing encampments is possible when there is the political will to do so—just look at San Francisco during the APEC conference. It’s dangerous, inhumane, and unhealthy for homeless individuals to live on sidewalks, near our schools and transit stops, and in our open spaces. It’s also not safe or fair to nearby neighbors and local businesses,” Mr. Jones added.
The bill is modeled after San Diego’s “Unsafe Camping Ordinance,” which among other things bars encampments from within 500 feet of schools, transit stops, and other open spaces, and prohibits sidewalk encampments when shelter beds are available.
Under the bill, also following the lead of other cities, the homeless will be given a 72-hour notice before encampment sweeps, and responding officers are required to inform camp residents of nearby shelters and services, including mental health services, according to the recent announcement.
California currently leads the nation in chronically homeless people, with homelessness increased by 6 percent in the last year, according to a fact sheet from Mr. Jones’s office.
A homeless man wipes his forehead as he packs belongings at a tent city in Sacramento on April 13, 2009. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Data show a 40 percent increase in the last six years, to over 181,000 people, and California has spent over $22 billion on homelessness during the same period. Major cities saw large increases of their own, with a 14 percent rise in San Diego and 10 percent in Los Angeles last year. Sacramento saw a large increase during the COVID pandemic, with its homeless population growing nearly 70 percent from 2019 to 2022, according to lawmakers.
Both Los Angeles and Sacramento have passed their own ordinances banning encampments near community structures such as parks, daycare centers, hospitals, and colleges.
The Public Policy Institute of California—a nonprofit, nonpartisan research site—found in a 2022 survey that around 70 percent of adults in the state consider homelessness a big problem, with 14 percent of respondents citing it as the state’s most important issue.
If passed, SB 1011 would create a blanket policy for local jurisdictions across the state to strengthen public safety and connect more homeless people with services. Those who refuse to leave an encampment after a 72-hour notice would be charged with a misdemeanor at the discretion of a prosecutor, according to the bill’s text.
In January the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance that would similarly require those sleeping in an encampment on the street or sidewalk in unincorporated areas to accept shelter when offered or face a misdemeanor charge. Offenders can avoid the citation by relocating, a county spokesperson confirmed with The Epoch Times.
Those who refuse to leave would automatically qualify for diversion programs offered by the San Mateo County Superior Court instead of possible jail time if arrested for violating the ordinance.
Social media influencer Ricci Wynne, famous for his videos of San Francisco’s homeless problem and a proponent of the bill, said SB 1011 is a “no-brainer.”
“I’m a lifelong San Francisco resident and never have I seen such an exponential growth in homelessness. This Senate bill is a common-sense, no-brainer step in the right direction,” he said in the recent press release by Mr. Jones.
Democrat Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa said Californians from both ends of the political spectrum are impacted by homelessness and need to unite.
“Solving the homelessness crisis is not a partisan issue, and I’m happy to join with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to connect homeless people with services and get them shelter,” he said.
