(The Center Square) – The city of San Jose’s growing homeless population has city officials discussing ways to restrict where the unhoused are staying.
The City Council had a debate at its Jan. 30 meeting over restrictions on the homeless from being near day care facilities and schools and restricting where people living in oversized vehicles could park.
It’s a debate going on throughout California, where nearly 3 in 10 homeless people in the U.S. resided in 2023. The state had 181,399 homeless people last year.
Senate Bill 1011 was introduced in the California state legislature Feb. 5. If approved, it would prohibit homeless encampments near schools, open spaces and major transit stops.
“Californians should not have to tolerate the encampments that now fill our open spaces with trash, needles, and human waste,” State Sen. Brian Jones, a Republican who represents San Diego County, said in a media release .
Senate Bill 1011 is based on the city of San Diego’s encampment ordinance.