SB 841

The State Housing Law, among other things, requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to adopt, amend, or repeal rules and regulations for the protection of the health, safety, and general welfare of the occupant and the public relating to specified residential structures. Existing law provides for the inspection of homeless shelters and makes a violation of these provisions a crime. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to, in collaboration with an advisory committee, administer sexual assault/rape crisis center victim services programs and provide grants to proposed and existing sexual assault services programs that are operating a local rape victim center. Existing law requires domestic violence shelter-based program staff to work with social service agencies, schools, and law enforcement agencies in an advocacy capacity. This bill, the Keep Safe Spaces Safe Act, would prohibit, to the extent possible, an employee of a homeless shelter, rape crisis center, domestic violence shelter, family justice center, or human trafficking service provider from allowing access to the nonpublic areas of those facilities, except as required by state or federal law, for immigration enforcement activity, as defined, unless specified criteria are met, including a valid judicial warrant. This bill would provide that its provisions are severable. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.