Assemblymember Zbur’s AB 2525 was sponsored by Mayor Bass and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom
LOS ANGELES – Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2525, which was authored by Assemblymember and Democratic Caucus Chair Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) and sponsored by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to move RVs out of neighborhoods and bring more unhoused Angelenos inside. AB 2525 will reduce homelessness by allowing the City to lease property from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) at a reduced rate to store recreational vehicles (RVs) while the unhoused Angelenos receive housing and services through the Mayor’s Inside Safe program.
“RV encampments pose a range of tactical and logistical challenges that require legislative and regulatory fixes,” said Mayor Bass. “This bill will help us move RVs out of neighborhoods and bring more Angelenos into housing in a faster and cheaper way. I want to thank Assemblymember Zbur for his leadership on this important issue and Governor Newsom for his support as we confront this crisis head-on.”
"With thousands of people experiencing homelessness living in RVs, the need for safe storage as we transition Angelenos into housing is urgent,” said Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur. “This bill strengthens Mayor Karen Bass’s Inside Safe initiative, which has already moved a record number of people off the streets. Thank you, Mayor Bass, for your leadership. AB 2525 will authorize the State to better partner with the City of Los Angeles to provide real solutions for community members experiencing homelessness.”
In order to effectively assist the unhoused residents of Los Angeles who currently live in RVs, the City needs additional locations to store the RVs taken off the streets while the residents of these vehicles are moved into interim housing. AB 2525 will play a key role in that effort by allowing the City of Los Angeles to lease Caltrans property for $1 per month to store RVs, opening up additional locations for the City to use.
This is the second of two bills that the Mayor has sponsored this year signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Governor Newsom also signed SB 1500, which was authored by Senator Maria Elena Durazo and sponsored by Mayor Bass to bring Angelenos inside faster. The bill will give housing providers the certainty they need to take advantage of the federal presumptive eligibility waivers that Mayor Bass secured from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in August 2023.
Since her first day in office when she declared an unprecedented emergency on the homelessness crisis, Mayor Karen Bass has driven change in how we address homelessness with new initiatives to bring people living in encampments inside. She has also worked to prevent people from losing their homes and to lock arms across all levels of government to save lives and restore neighborhoods.
Key results from the 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count:
Homelessness in the City of Los Angeles is down for the first time in six years.
Unprecedented drop in street homelessness (10% decrease in the City of Los Angeles – the first double digit decrease in the last at least 9 years).
A decrease in makeshift shelters (38% decrease in the City of Los Angeles).
The number of people who moved into permanent housing is at an all time high.
Tent encampments have come down in every council district, and thousands more Angelenos came inside than in 2022 thanks to action locking arms with the City Council, County and LAHSA. The Mayor has worked to improve services for unhoused Angelenos coming inside and has also been vocal about the need to make homelessness programs more cost effective as this urgent work continues. Mayor Bass and Assemblymember Zbur look forward to collaborating in the future to improve the lives of Angelenos by expanding housing options and addressing homelessness.