Your guide to which homelessness and recovery housing bills cities should act on

The legislative session ends soon

By Caroline Grinder, legislative affairs lobbyist

Lawmakers are set to return to the Capitol on Aug. 5. With just one month left - and plenty of critical bills to pass - the last month of session promises to be a whirlwind of activity. For the next three weeks, Cal Cities is rounding up the most important bills for cities. Here are three homelessness and recovery housing bills cities should watch closely as the session ends.

Homeless housing bill still lacks clarity

Top of mind for Cal Cities is a homeless housing measure introduced by Asm. Chris Ward earlier this year. Sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom, AB 3093 would add new income categories to the Regional Housing Needs Assessment. Lawmakers say the measure would help assess the needs of homeless residents. They based the bill on a report about California's housing future.

Cal Cities opposes the measure unless it is amended. AB 3093 lacks key details on how the proposed categories - acutely low-income and extremely low-income - differ from what cities already plan for through the very low-income category. It is critical that lawmakers clarify these differences so that cities are not set up to fail, especially as they lose out on critical state funding.

Legislators will hear AB 3093 in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Aug. 5. Cities still have time to submit letters and urge their lawmakers to address these concerns.

Sponsored recovery housing bills await key vote

Two recovery housing bills sponsored by Cal Cities are moving forward. AB 2081 (Davies), co-sponsored by Cal Cities, would require licensed treatment facilities to share resources about their licensure status with potential patients.

The Cal Cities-sponsored AB 2574 (Valencia) would expand reporting requirements to improve the state's oversight of sober living homes operating as an integral part of a licensed treatment facility located elsewhere in the community.

Residential recovery housing provides a wide range of benefits to some of California's most vulnerable residents. However, some operators have put profits over people. The two bills would provide much-needed transparency and hold providers accountable for high-quality treatment and care.

Both bills need to pass out of the Senate before heading to the Governor's desk. Cities that support these measures should call their senators and urge them to send the bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

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