A bipartisan group of lawmakers want California to adopt San Diego’s stricter limits on homeless encampments as the nation’s top court considers re-writing the rule book entirely.
The proposal, Senate Bill 1011 , prohibits camping near schools, transit stops or “open spaces” throughout the state, regardless of whether shelter was available. Tents on sidewalks would be banned as long as beds were available.
Homeless people should be warned at least three days before a sweep and receive information about available services.
“This bill strikes an appropriate balance between accountability and compassion,” state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, a Republican from Santee and the bill’s sponsor, said at a press conference in Sacramento Tuesday.
He was one of several proponents to tout the parallels with San Diego’s camping ban . “They are having great success so far,” he added.
The city’s ordinance took effect in July.
San Diego police have issued relatively few tickets , but the threat of enforcement has corresponded with a sharp drop in homelessness downtown and more people asking for shelter.