By Marisa Kendall

WHAT THE BILL WOULD DO

SB 1395 by Sen. Josh Becker, a Democrat from Menlo Park, would make it easier for cities and counties to quickly set up tiny homes for their homeless residents. 

How? Traditional homeless shelters already are exempt from some of the red tape that often slows down housing construction, including the California Environmental Quality Act. Becker’s bill would expand that to include shelters that are “non-congregate and relocatable.” In other words: tiny homes. The bill also would extend cities’ ability to streamline the construction of homeless shelters, which now is set to expire in 2027. 

WHO SUPPORTS IT

The bill’s co-sponsors include San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan (whose city has embraced tiny homes as solution to homelessness), DignityMoves (a nonprofit that helps build tiny homes villages), the Bay Area Council, and SPUR (a nonprofit public policy organization focused on housing and transportation).

WHO IS OPPOSED

SB 1395 has no registered opposition. But that wasn’t the case last session, when a similar version introduced by Becker died following opposition from prominent groups that included the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the Western Center on Law & Poverty and the Corporation for Supportive Housing. They complained the bill characterized tiny homes as permanent housing. In reality, they said, tiny homes’ substandard construction (many lack kitchens and bathrooms) means they should be used as temporary shelters only. The new version of the bill specifies that tiny homes are temporary shelters. 

WHY IT MATTERS

As homeless encampments continue to grow, the state and many cities are doubling down on tiny homes as a quick way to get people off the streets. San Jose has more than 500, and there are 2,000 statewide, according to DignityMoves. Newsom last year promised 1,200 tiny homes to four communities in California, though that project ran into some snags.

GOVERNOR’S CALL ✅

Newsom signed the bill on Sept. 19.