BILL ANALYSIS Ó
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2254|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CONSENT
Bill No: AB 2254
Author: Achadjian (R), et al.
Amended: 6/8/16 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: 5-0, 6/14/16
AYES: Nielsen, Hueso, Allen, Nguyen, Roth
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 4/21/16 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT: Armories: homeless shelter
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill revises the list of armories to be made
available to include the Atascadero armory in San Luis Obispo
County.
ANALYSIS: Existing law requires the California Military
Department (CMD) to make certain state armories available to
specified cities and counties for the purpose of providing
temporary shelter for homeless persons from October 15 through
April 15 each year.
This bill revises the list of armories to be made available to
include the Atascadero armory in San Luis Obispo County.
Background
AB 2254
Page 2
Under direction of the Adjutant General (TAG), the CMD operates
99 active armory sites in California. Armories (or "readiness
centers") are the primary sites for unit training and are
integral to the readiness of National Guard personnel for both
federal and state missions and non-Guard personnel for state
purposes.
Armories also are used to mobilize and house troops when the
Guard responds to wildfires, while also serving as emergency
operations centers for other first-responder agencies. Armories
also are used to shelter displaced civilians, who have been
evacuated from their homes due to fires or other state
emergencies. Several armories throughout the state serve as
homeless shelters during winter months.
The use of armories to temporarily house California's homeless
during bad weather months began in 1987, when then-Gov. George
Deukmejian, by executive order, initiated the Emergency Shelter
Program, which authorized the California National Guard to make
the state's armories available for temporary emergency shelters.
Sixteen armories were used as shelters.
Government Code Sections 15301-15301.6 pertain to assistance of
homeless persons and the emergency shelter program.
Section 15301(a) lists certain armories: El Centro, Calexico,
Culver City, Glendale, Inglewood, Long Beach 7th Street, Pomona,
Sylmar, West Los Angeles Federal Avenue, Merced, Fullerton,
Santa Ana, Roseville, Corona, Indio, Riverside, El Cajon,
Escondido, Vista, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Gilroy,
San Jose Hedding Street, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, Watsonville,
Redding, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Oxnard and Ventura, to be made
available to their counties or any city in these counties for
the purpose of providing temporary shelter for homeless persons
during the period from October 15 through April 15 each year.
Section 15301(b) provides that the TAG has sole discretion to
use alternate armories as may be necessary to meet the
operational needs of the CMD. Additionally, any county or city,
including those not listed in subdivision (a), may use any
armory within its jurisdiction subject to the approval of the
TAG.
Section 15301(c) provides that, subject to appropriation in the
annual Budget Act, the TAG may increase or decrease the number
of days of operation among all of the armories funded in any
year to best meet cold weather demands as they develop. The TAG
shall periodically report to the counties authorized to receive
funds on the ongoing availability of remaining funded shelter
days.
Section 15301.1 states that state armories shall not be made
available during any period that any organization of the state
militia or United States Armed Forces is conducting drills or
other military training or activity at the armory or during any
period that the armories have been designated by the Governor or
TAG for use appropriate to a condition of emergency, including,
but not limited to, use by the Red Cross during an earthquake,
fire, or other disaster.
Related/Prior Legislation
AB 1954 (Jackson, Chapter 958, Statutes of 2000) revises the
list of armories to be made available as temporary homeless
shelters and expands the timeframe of the Temporary Emergency
Shelter Program, as specified.
AB 612 (Jackson, Chapter 793, Statutes of 1999) appropriates
$1,365,000 from the General Fund, in augmentation of the Budget
Act of 1999, to provide temporary emergency shelter to the
homeless.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
AB 2254
Page 4
SUPPORT: (Verified8/1/16)
American GI Forum of California
City of Atascadero
San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors
Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/1/16)
None received
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 4/21/16
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Arambula, Atkins, Baker,
Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke,
Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley,
Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth
Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto,
Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper,
Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim,
Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis,
Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte,
O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Quirk, Rodriguez, Salas,
Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner,
Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Rendon
NO VOTE RECORDED: Ridley-Thomas
Prepared by: Wade Teasdale / V.A. / (916) 651-1503
8/3/16 19:00:44
**** END ****
AB 2254
Page 5