By Gary Warth
March 27, 2026
A number of state and federal bills addressing homelessness, housing and behavioral health are advancing through legislative committees.
Here’s a look at several measures under consideration:
AB 1708: Prioritizing smaller cities for homelessness funding
Introduced Feb. 4 by Assemblymember José Luis Solache Jr. (D-Los Angeles), AB 1708 — known as the “Pathway to Cities Act” — was scheduled for a March 25 hearing in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee but the hearing has been postponed.
The bill would require Continuums of Care (CoCs) to prioritize jurisdictions with populations under 300,000 when distributing Round 7 Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funding.
HHAP is a state block grant program that provides flexible funding for housing, outreach and homelessness prevention, with an emphasis on regional coordination. Round 7 funding is expected to total $500 million.
Under the proposal, CoCs would initially accept applications only from smaller jurisdictions for a 30-day period. Remaining funds would then be opened to other eligible applicants.
To qualify, cities would need a compliant housing element, an adopted encampment policy and participation in regionally coordinated homelessness plans.
AB-2567 CalWORKs: immediate assistance
Introduced Feb. 20 by Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez, a Democrat from San Fernando County, Assembly Bill 2567 streamlines the process for emergency assistance from California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program.
The bill was amended and has been referred to the Committee on Human Services.
Existing law requires counties to determine whether the applicant needs immediate assistance because the individual does not have sufficient resources to meet their emergency needs. A county determines that the applicant needs immediate assistance if the family’s total available liquid resources are less than $100 and there is an emergency situation.
Under AB-2567, an applicant’s eligibility for immediate assistance of $200 or less would not require the individual to first apply for other non-CalWORKs income sources. The bill also adds “homeless assistance” to what an applicant may be seeking.
AB-1573 Land use: housing elements: target population
Introduced Jan. 12 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Los Angeles County, Assembly Bill 1573 would expand the definition of “target population” in a city or county’s housing element to include victims of domestic violence.
The bill has been amended from saying a target population includes victims of domestic violence and human trafficking to saying the target populations may include those victims. The bill has been re-referred to the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development
The Planning and Zoning Law requires a city or county to adopt a general plan for land use development that includes a housing element containing specified information, including an analysis of its special housing, emergency shelter, and supportive housing needs.
Existing law defines the term “target population” to include certain persons, including persons with low incomes who have one or more disabilities and individuals eligible for specified developmental disability services.
AB 1676: Expanding authority under Laura’s Law
Introduced by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco), AB 1676 would expand provisions under Laura’s Law to allow court-ordered involuntary medication for individuals receiving Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT).
The bill would authorize county behavioral health directors to petition courts for involuntary medication orders and allow treatment teams to request law enforcement assistance to transport individuals for treatment.
The measure was re-referred March 17 to the Assembly Health Committee and is scheduled for an April 7 hearing.
AB-2162 Housing: county funding allocations: nonminor dependents and young adults
Introduced Feb.18 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Los Angeles County, Assembly Bill 2162 would revise reporting requirements and eligibility age for young adults receiving certain funds from the state Housing and Community Development Department.
The bill passed the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee on March 25 with a 12-0 vote and was referred to the Human Services Committee.
Existing law requires the department to provide, under the Transitional Housing Program and the Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program, funding to counties to to help young adults ages 18 to 24 secure and maintain housing, with priority given to young adults formerly in the state’s foster care or probation systems.
The bill would extend the eligibility ages from 24 to 28 years old for both programs.
Existing law also requires a child welfare agency that accepts funding from either program to report certain data to the department on an annual basis, including specified information relating to the number of homeless youth served and the number of former or current foster youth served, as defined.
This bill would revise those reporting requirements to instead require information about the number of young adults served, including the number of young adults formerly in the state’s foster care or probation system and would require additional information to be reported under the Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program related to housing vouchers.
AB-2766 Public postsecondary education: student housing: foster youth and homeless youth
Assembly Bill 2766 was introduced in February by Patrick Ahrens, a Democrat from San Francisco.
On March 16, the bill was referred to the Higher Education Committee and the Human Services Committee.
The bill is designed to support current and former foster youth and homeless youth attending public colleges and universities by improving housing stability and increasing resources.
The schools already are requested to give priority to current and former foster youths and homeless youths, and AB-2766 would make the priority a requirement.
The bill also would require the schools to include in housing applications questions designed to identify students who may be eligible for priority housing. Housing-related costs would be deferred for eligible students.
The bill is designed to support current and former foster youth and homeless youth attending public colleges and universities by improving housing stability and increasing resources.
The schools already are requested to give priority to current and former foster youths and homeless youths, and AB-2766 would make the priority a requirement.
The bill also would require the schools to include in housing applications questions designed to identify students who may be eligible for priority housing. Housing-related costs would be deferred for eligible students.
Big picture: The proposals reflect a growing focus in Sacramento on balancing homelessness response with prevention and housing preservation, while also addressing gaps in how funding reaches smaller communities and vulnerable populations.
What it means for San Diego
Several of the proposals could directly affect how homelessness funding and programs are delivered across the region. AB 1708, in particular, could give smaller cities like Encinitas, Escondido and others more direct access to state homelessness funding, rather than relying primarily on regional allocations. Other bills focused on prevention, youth housing and preserving existing units align with ongoing efforts in San Diego County to reduce inflow into homelessness while expanding housing and services.
