California legislators of both parties want to clear homeless camps; a new bill takes aim

DESCRIBING CALIFORNIA’S HOMELESSNESS crisis as “inhumane” and “unhealthy,” Senate GOP leader Brian Jones of San Diego and Democratic Sen. Catherine Blakespear of Encinitas recently announced a bipartisan bill to ban homeless encampments near “sensitive community areas” statewide. 

Modeled after San Diego’s “Unsafe Camping Ordinance,” Senate Bill 1011 prohibits encampments within 500 feet of schools, open spaces and major transit stops. It also bans camping on sidewalks if shelter space is available; requires cities or counties to give an unhoused person 72-hour notice before clearing an encampment; and mandates “enforcement personnel” to provide information about homeless shelters in the area.