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Committee backs bill expanding safe parking authority and encampment resolution funding for RV encampments
Summary
SB 748, as amended, would expand resources and program authority for local governments to operate safe parking sites and to acquire sites and services for people living in vehicles; the Assembly committee passed the bill and directed reporting by the California Interagency Council on Homelessness.
SB 748 would expand the state's Encampment Resolution Fund (ERF) program to allow local jurisdictions to acquire and operate safe parking sites, increase service hours and site operations, and provide on-site services such as showers and case management for people living in vehicles.
Senator Richardson, the bill author, said the amendments clarify the bill’s scope and provide resources to help jurisdictions offer temporary shelter and safety areas while assisting people living in vehicles to locate interim or permanent housing. The senator noted the bill requires the California Interagency Council on Homelessness to report on distribution of encampment-resolution funds to specified legislative committees and includes a sunset date for reporting.
Supporters included the City of Compton, which described rising RV encampments and urged managed safe parking as a humane, service-oriented alternative to enforcement. Chris Wysocki of the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association and the League of California Cities also testified in support. Witnesses emphasized that safe parking sites can reduce reliance on costly reactive enforcement and connect people to services.
Committee members discussed concerns about how encampment funds are used and the need for data on outcomes. One member said that while encampment cleanups are common, jurisdictions need to know whether people are getting housed or merely displaced. The committee approved the bill as amended and passed it to the Assembly Committee on Human Services; the clerk announced the roll as 11 yeas, 0 nays.
The bill’s author and supporters described the measure as an incremental step to give local governments additional humane tools while the state continues to pursue permanent supportive housing.
