What is the new law for homeless people in California?


Editorial team Published on

Recent major California laws affecting homelessness and encampments include SB 634, SB 802, and state model enforcement frameworks:

SB 634: Protecting Homeless Service and Outreach Workers

  • What it does: Prevents local governments and cities from criminalizing, fining, or arresting frontline outreach workers, faith-based groups, medical personnel, and non-profit volunteers who distribute basic survival necessities (such as food, water, medical aid, and legal assistance) to unhoused individuals.
  • Background: Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the law was enacted to push back against local municipal crackdowns that previously attempted to penalize organizations or individuals for aiding people living in unauthorized encampments.

SB 802: Regional Homeless Task Force (Sacramento Area)

  • What it does: Requires Sacramento County and regional cities (including Sacramento, Folsom, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, and Rancho Cordova) to form a unified Joint Powers Authority (JPA) by January 2028 to coordinate homeless services and funding.
  • Background: Designed to stop local governments from operating in conflicting silos and to streamline regional housing and shelter efforts.

Encampment Clearance and State Model Ordinances

  • Enforcement context: Following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 ruling giving local governments broader authority to enforce public camping bans and clear outdoor encampments, California has aggressively pushed local municipalities to adopt strict anti-encampment policies.
  • State guidance: Governor Newsom released a state model ordinance urging cities and counties to prohibit persistent camping and sidewalk blockages while tying local cleanups to shelter offerings and behavioral health funding (backed by Prop 1).