Two bills addressing homelessness now law
On Aug. 27, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law two bills — AB 2835 and AB 3057 — to further address the state’s homelessness and housing problems.
AB 2835 allows homeless people who have been placed in hotels or motels that have been turned into shelters to remain there longer. Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-San Fernando Valley), author of the bill, said it would provide “much-needed stability to kids and families experiencing homelessness while also cutting red tape and saving taxpayer resources.”
AB 3057 streamlines permitting processes for local governments to create more junior accessory dwelling units (basically, a small “granny flat”). That bill’s author, Assemblywoman Lori Wilson (D-Solano County), said “this bill makes it faster, cheaper, and easier for families to create additional living spaces within their homes, helping to address our state’s housing shortage.”
In other gubernatorial housing news, in August Newsom included San Francisco in his list of 20 communities in the state to get some of the $789 million being doled out through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Grant Program. San Francisco’s 85-unit development at 160 Freelon Street will receive $41 million, and the 89-unit Sunnydale Block 7 will get $29 million.