For the second year in a row, Democrats Tuesday voted down a bill that sought to ban homeless encampments near schools, transit stops and other areas throughout California.
Despite the fact that cities up and down the state are grappling with a proliferation of homeless camps, legislators said they oppose penalizing down-and-out residents who sleep on public property.
鈥淛ust because individuals that are unhoused make people uncomfortable does not mean that it should be criminalized. And this bill does that,鈥� said Sen. , a Democrat from Fremont and chairperson of the Senate Public Safety Committee. 鈥淭he penalties will just be added to their already difficult situation of paying for things.鈥�
stumbled in its first committee hearing, stalling in the Public Safety Committee on a 1-3 vote. The measure by Senate GOP leader and Democratic Sen. , both of the San Diego area, would have made camping within 500 feet of a school, open space or major transit stop a misdemeanor or infraction. It also would have banned camping on public sidewalks if beds were available in local homeless shelters.
鈥淚鈥檓 disappointed in the closed-minded opposition from the majority party members of the Senate Public Safety Committee to new approaches and their knee-jerk support of just throwing more money at the problem with no real plan,鈥� Jones said in a statement. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 continued rejection of real solutions during this health and safety crisis is immoral and irresponsible.鈥�
After the defeat, Jones will continue speaking with committee members to see if there is any way to negotiate a path forward for his bill, spokesperson Nina Krishel said in an email.
Sen. , a Democrat from Oakland, said while she appreciates that Californians don鈥檛 want to see encampments, she couldn鈥檛 support the bill.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like trying to make a problem invisible versus addressing the core of the problem,鈥� said Skinner, who joined Wahab and Sen. , a Democrat from San Francisco, in voting 鈥渘o.鈥�
More than three dozen people voiced their opposition to the bill during today鈥檚 hearing, speaking on behalf of organizations such as the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union California Action.
The bill鈥檚 supporters, who numbered far fewer, included the mayor of Vista and a representative from the city of Carlsbad.
The lone 鈥測es鈥� vote came from the committee鈥檚 only Republican, Sen. of Murrieta.
鈥淲e had a slew of people that came forward to tell us about what we shouldn鈥檛 be doing,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut what the hell should we be doing? Because right now we鈥檙e not doing anything.鈥�
Sen. , a Democrat from Inglewood, abstained.
Wahab granted reconsideration, which means the committee could hear the bill again later this session. But last year, a nearly identical bill . SB 31, also introduced by Jones, died in the Senate Public Safety Committee with one 鈥測es鈥� vote, one 鈥渘o鈥� vote and three abstentions. It also received reconsideration, but was never revived.
This year鈥檚 version of the encampment ban had more going for it. Jones found a Democratic co-author and narrowed the bill鈥檚 scope. Instead of banning people from camping within 1,000 feet of schools and other locations, the new bill would have banned people from camping within 500 feet.
Jones also was leaning heavily on a new camping ban in San Diego, upon which he said he modeled his bill. The San Diego ordinance, which took effect at the end of July 2023, bans camps near schools, shelters and transit hubs, in parks, and 鈥� if shelter beds are available 鈥� on public sidewalks. Jones called the ordinance a 鈥渟uccess,鈥� a sentiment echoed by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
But a paints a more complicated picture. While encampments have drastically decreased in some areas, such as downtown and around certain schools, they are still just as prevalent 鈥� in some cases much more so 鈥� along the city鈥檚 freeways and the banks of its river. Opponents of the ordinance say it displaces people instead of housing them.
And Jones鈥� bill failed to copy a key piece of San Diego鈥檚 approach. When the city started enforcing its encampment ban, it also opened two massive 鈥渟afe sleeping鈥� sites where about 500 people camp on vacant lots in tents purchased by the city.
Jones鈥� bill would not have forced cities to set up accommodations for people displaced from encampments, because, he said, there鈥檚 no state funding for that.