California Governor Signs Bills to Speed Up Homeless Shelter Construction

“I am optimistic that we will continue to work together to bring solutions to our homelessness crisis,” said Democratic Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, who authored the bill and represents parts of Orange County.

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California is giving cities and counties more power to speed up the building of supportive housing and shelters amid a homelessness crisis.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 13 laws aimed at stemming the crisis Thursday. His action comes as Republican President Donald Trump criticizes California’s handling of the issue, most recently blaming homelessness for water pollution.

California, the nation’s most populous state, has a growing number of people living in the streets in cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. But Newsom has accused Trump of politicizing the issue and called on the federal government to provide more aid to get people into housing.

Newsom said the bills he’s signed will “give local governments even more tools to confront this crisis.”

One new law that takes effect immediately lets Los Angeles bypass parts of the California Environmental Quality Act to build supportive housing and shelters. Another lets projects that will turn hotels into housing forego certain CEQA reviews through 2025.

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