Newsom signs SB 802 mandating regional approach to homelessness in Sacramento County

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed legislation requiring Elk Grove and other Sacramento County jurisdictions to establish a regional authority addressing homelessness, ending a lengthy legislative battle over how much the region should be required to coordinate its efforts.

Senate Bill 802 by Senate Majority Leader Angelique Ashby, D-Sacramento, requires Sacramento County and the cities of Sacramento, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights and Folsom to work together to establish a regional housing and homelessness joint powers authority by Jan. 1, 2028.

Newsom signed 78 bills announced in a legislative update Sunday. Of those, SB 802 was the only measure for which the governor's announcement included a separate signing message.

“Homelessness does not stop at jurisdictional boundaries, and no city or county can solve this crisis alone,” Newsom said.

The governor said the authority would provide a “durable structure” for regional planning, shared performance goals and accountability. Participating jurisdictions will determine how decisions are made, responsibilities and resources are shared and each member is held accountable.

Ashby, who spent more than a year pushing the legislation through opposition from several local governments, celebrated Newsom's signature Sunday.

“I wrote SB802 to bring our local leaders together — to see through an effort some 20 years in the making,” Ashby said in a statement posted on her official Facebook page. “For two decades, Sacramento has tried and failed to establish a Joint Powers Authority to collaboratively tackle homelessness.”

“SB802 makes that happen — finally,” she added.

Ashby's characterization of the issue as a long-running regional problem is consistent with arguments she made while advancing the legislation. In February, she wrote that Sacramento had failed for more than 20 years to create a formal regional governance structure for homelessness.

For Elk Grove, the new law comes as the city develops its own permanent homeless shelter on Survey Road near its far southern boundary.

The shelter is intended primarily for people with ties to Elk Grove. The city has said eligibility will require residency or a verifiable connection to the community, such as family ties, established relationships or previous employment.

It remains unclear whether implementation of SB 802 will affect those restrictions or other operations at the shelter. The legislation allows individual jurisdictions to retain oversight and accountability for locally administered funding, projects and programs, including sheltering and housing.

Elk Grove initially joined Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights and Folsom, along with Sacramento County, in opposing SB 802. The jurisdictions said they supported regional cooperation but objected to the proposed state-mandated governance structure.

Elk Grove later moved to neutral after amendments addressed concerns about local control and funding. Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights also moved to neutral, while Folsom remained opposed. Elk Grove officials noted during their deliberations that the city accounts for less than 2% of Sacramento County's unsheltered homeless population and has developed programs targeted to local needs.

The new law also follows a contentious housing dispute between Elk Grove and the Newsom administration.

In 2023, Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and state housing officials sued Elk Grove after the City Council rejected the Oak Rose supportive-housing project in Old Town, alleging the city violated state housing and fair-housing laws. Elk Grove disputed those allegations before ultimately settling with the developer and state costing local taxpayers about $10 million.

SB 802 itself cites that litigation as part of its legislative findings regarding regional housing problems.

Newsom said the new authority gives Sacramento's governments an opportunity to strengthen housing and services already underway.

Ashby was more succinct about what Newsom's signature accomplished.

“We are so much more effective when we work together,” she said. “Thank you, Governor Gavin Newsom, for signing this bill into law.”