California Bill Lets Students Sleep in Cars During Housing Crisis
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The California Assembly is considering legislation that would require community colleges and California State University (CSU) campuses to develop overnight parking programs for homeless students to sleep in their vehicles.
Assembly Bill 90, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Corey Jackson, recently passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee in a 6-2 vote with two abstentions.
Newsweek reached out to Jackson via email on Saturday for comment.
Why It Matters
Homelessness affects approximately 12 percent of community college students and 9 percent of university students, according to the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council.
Additionally, a 2023 survey by the Community College League of California found almost three out of five California community college students are housing insecure, with one in four experiencing homelessness.
What To Know
AB-90 was introduced on January 6 and amended in Assembly on March 20 of this year. The legislation would establish structured overnight parking programs for students with specific requirements including designated parking areas, security monitoring, access to bathroom facilities, and permit procedures.
Community colleges would need to provide at least one lot with 50 spots. Permits would last at least four weeks for community colleges and two weeks for CSU campuses. Programs would prohibit drugs, alcohol, harassment, and intimidation while prioritizing connection to sustainable housing alternatives.
The bill requires community college districts to adopt plans by September 2026 and vote on implementation by December 2026, while CSU campuses would implement similar programs upon legislative funding approval. The legislation provides civil liability protection for campus employees acting in good faith and requires detailed reporting on program usage and demographics.
Some opponents to the bill argue logistical issues and concerns over clearing parking spots by morning for regular users. Costs for the possible parking programs are particularly pressing given California's budget crisis that has caused CSU to lose $375 million annually in state funding, according to the California Globe.
A similar bill introduced by Jackson last year (AB-1818) passed the Assembly but failed in the Senate Appropriations Committee due to severe cost concerns.
What People Are Saying
Assemblymember Corey Jackson, author of AB-90 said: "This bill confronts a harsh reality. Many of our students who are sleeping in their vehicles or other displaced settings are unable to find affordable housing. And that's jeopardizing their education."
Fox News host Hugh Hewitt blasted the bill on "America's Newsroom" last week: "The problem in California is there are not enough homes and apartments. It's a supply problem created over 50 years of no-growth, left-wing policies that are anti-housing. The solution is not to create homeless encampments, and each one of these will become that."
He added: "People are going to enroll in the community college for 18 bucks a credit, and then they're going to put their car in the community college parking lot."
Community College League of California policy manager Nune Garipian told the California Globe last month: "Establishing an overnight student parking program would require significant financial and administrative resources to ensure that students have a safe, clean and secure place to sleep at night."
He added: "Our colleges, unfortunately, just do not have these resources available."
Activists with Services Not Sweeps hold a car blockade to prevent the removal of tent shelters before Los Angeles City Bureau of Sanitation performs a cleanup sweep of a homeless encampment during the Covid-19 pandemic...
Activists with Services Not Sweeps hold a car blockade to prevent the removal of tent shelters before Los Angeles City Bureau of Sanitation performs a cleanup sweep of a homeless encampment during the Covid-19 pandemic on January 28, 2021 in the Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles. More
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
What Happens Next
Community colleges must vote on adoption by December 31, 2026, with annual votes required until approval. CSU implementation depends on legislative appropriation of funds.
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