April 6, 2022
The Honorable Mark Stone
Chairman, Committee on Judiciary
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re. Support for AB 2220 (Muratsuchi): Homeless Courts Pilot Program - SUPPORT Dear Chairman Stone:
The Redondo Beach City Mayor and Council received an informational report regarding AB 2220 at their meeting on April 5, 2022, and voted to support AB 2220, which has been referred to the Judiciary Committee. We urge members of the committee to vote “AYE.” This bill creates a pilot program to incentivize local jurisdictions across the state to promote restorative justice for criminal defendants experiencing homelessness. The goal of the program is ultimately to obtain permanent housing in exchange of dismissing criminal cases through criminal diversion. In addition, court orders would be tailored to each individual to offer services such as mental health and substance abuse treatment and counseling.
This bill would allow local jurisdictions such as us to apply for grant funds to create or expand a homeless court program to provide comprehensive community-based services to criminal defendants experiencing homelessness. Many defendants experiencing homelessness are suffering from mental health illnesses and/or substance abuse addiction and are unable to seek or accept services. This bill would bring treatment services to the defendants in an informal court setting, making it easier for them to accept the services and get stabilized to obtain permanent housing.
For these reasons, the City of Redondo Beach supports AB 2220 (Muratsuchi).
Sincerely,
William C. Brand, Mayor
City of Redondo Beach