Photo: Nancy Cruz / Impremedia
By: Nancy Cruz / Special for Real America News Posted Mar 27, 2023, 2:40 am EDT
They approve a pilot program to provide state funds to local courts; The objective is to help individuals living on the street who have criminal problems.
A few days ago, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors supported bill AB 67 by District 66 Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, who introduced the proposal for the second time since the first had been rejected last year.
Under the new proposal, the Judicial Council must administer the program and allocate funds competitively to applicant cities; In this way, it can be ensured that they provide the necessary support and service to homeless people accused of minor crimes.
This law would create funding opportunities for the expansion of existing court programs and provide the ability to create new homeless court programs.
“Assembly Bill 67 would establish a pilot homeless court program; counties and cities across the state will be supported in creating or expanding local homeless courts,” said Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi.
“These courts are criminal diversion courts for people who have committed minor crimes who are on the streets. Instead of criminalizing homelessness, these courts will provide homeless people with comprehensive services such as housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment, to get them off the streets and restore their lives.”
He added that the Judicial Council’s homelessness task force recommends the courts to strengthen the fight against homelessness, with proven results in areas including San Diego County and the cities of Redondo Beach and Long Beach.
The cities of Redondo Beach and Long Beach are among the few cities that have already established homeless court programs, with Torrance being next in line.
Long Beach Homeless Court was created last year after Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Long Beach City Attorney Doug Haubert aimed to provide legal services to homeless.
“We can help with active cases, old warrants and even cancellations in certain cases,” Haubert said. “We handle them here at the Multi Service Center (MSC), where everyone agrees that the environment is better than a courtroom hearings”.
The courts were created with the intent to divert the indigent from jail to housing in eligible misdemeanor cases.
He added that a homeless individual is connected to services and programs for said courts, is helped to find housing, and is given the opportunity to have pending charges dropped.
“The homeless court model works,” said Hahn, who is also president of the Board of Supervisors.
“I believe in these programs, which is why I have done everything possible to support them with my office’s discretionary funds,” he added. “But reliable funding from the state will be essential to continue these programs and help more cities establish their own.”
Homeless court programs unfortunately do not have the ongoing funding to ensure the program continues to provide needed services, officials said.
In addition, they stressed that the lack of funds presents a threat to the future of these services since this could deter other cities from implementing these programs.
AB 67 will still have to go through the fiscal committee and be approved for amendment in the House before September 8.
If approved, the bill must be voted on by each chamber by September 14.
In order to be implemented, the bill must receive a majority of the votes to be presented to the Governor, where he will choose before October 14, whether to approve the bill and make it law or veto it.
The legislation will establish the pilot homeless court program through January 1, 2029.