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All California Counties, Big Cities, May Need To Create Parking Lots For Homeless

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - California's biggest cities, including Sacramento, and all 58 counties will need to provide safe parking locations for people who live in their cars, if a new bill becomes law.

Assembly Bill 891 would require cities with more than 330,000 people to establish a safe parking program by June 1, 2022. The Department of Transportation and Director of General Services would identify where those safe parking lots would be located. They'd look at state surplus properties and then post a lost of those properties on its website by June 1, 2020. Those properties would then be sold, exchanged, or leased to cities and counties.

Once the safe parking programs are established, cities and counties would work with local nonprofits to make sure those who live in their cars know about the option.

SEE ALSO: Putting the Gas Tax to Work: Caltrans is Hiring

According to the US Census Bureau data from 2015 11 cities in California have a population of more than 330,000 and would be required to establish a safe parking program:

  1. Los Angeles
  2. San Diego
  3. San Jose
  4. San Francisco
  5. Fresno
  6. Sacramento
  7. Long Beach
  8. Oakland
  9. Bakersfield
  10. Anaheim
  11. Santa Ana

Stockton has a population of approximately 306,000; Modesto's population is approximately 211,000.

Earlier this year AB 302 was introduced requiring California Community Colleges to allow homeless students to park in special spaces overnight so they can sleep in their cars. The current law already requires California Community Colleges to provide showers for homeless students in good standing.

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