Governor Newsom signs new bills to boost housing supply, provide shelter beds

Gov Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed two new bills that aim to boost housing supply and further address the state’s homelessness crisis.

One of the bills, Assembly Bill 2835 , will make it easier for homeless individuals to stay at privately owned motels and hotels for longer than 30 days. Local governments, including Los Angeles, have often used this strategy to get people off the street.

The other bill, Assembly Bill 3057 , focuses on junior ADUs—units created within single-family homes up to 500 feet in size. Under the new law, junior ADUs will be exempt from requirements mandated under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. In the past, following these requirements could add time and cost to developments.

Larger ADUs were already exempt from CEQA requirements.

“The homelessness crisis demands immediate and innovative action, not the status quo. With these new laws, local governments have even more tools to provide housing. I urge them to fully utilize the state’s unprecedented resources to address homelessness,” Newsom said in a statement.

The introduction of the new laws comes after Newsom signed an executive order allowing state and local officials to dismantle homeless encampments.

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