SACRAMENTO—A group of Republican lawmakers introduced more than a dozen bills to combat California’s worsening homeless crisis on March 16, a problem they say the state’s Democrats have inadequately addressed as billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent and the homeless population continues to grow.
Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), Assemblywoman Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Santa Clarita), and Sens. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel), Brian Jones (R-Santee), Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita), and other members in the legislature told reporters outside of the Capitol that their legislative package aims to tackle the root of homelessness with a strategy emphasizing accountability, mental health, and substance abuse.
