SAN DIEGO — Senator Brian Jones along with former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and other city officials gathered in Escondido to announce a new bill that they say aims to tackle the homelessness crisis in San Diego and California.
Senator Jones says he plans to introduce the bill on the first day of the next legislative session in December. He says the bill will prohibit homeless encampments near sensitive community areas such as schools, parks, libraries, and day-care centers. He added that the bill requires enforcement officers to provide information about sleeping alternatives, homeless and mental health services, and homeless shelters.
In a press release Jones says that homelessness in San Diego rose 10 percent in the last year. He continued, “Sadly, California's homelessness crisis has turned into a public health and public safety crisis.”
Senator Jones says his bill was modeled after a recent measure passed by the City of Los Angeles. He says it will help compassionately clear encampments and help connect homeless individuals to services they desperately need. He says the bill “specifically protects sensitive community areas closest to our most vulnerable population—our children who go to school and day-care centers, play in parks, and read books at libraries.”
This bill is the most recent story about homelessness in San Diego. Recently NBA legend, Bill Walton wrote several emails calling out Mayor Todd Gloria over what he calls inaction on homelessness.
In another plan to try and help the homeless crisis in the state, Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a law that will implement “Care Court” in the state. Under the new law, family members, first responders and others can ask a judge to draw up a treatment plan for someone diagnosed with certain disorders, including schizophrenia. Those who refuse could be placed under a conservatorship and ordered to comply.
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