CHAPTER 2. Emergency Shelter Program [15301. - 15301.6.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 2.

in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 15301. Section 15301.

(a) The El Centro and Calexico armories in Imperial County; the Culver City, Glendale, Inglewood, Long Beach 7th Street, Pomona, Sylmar, and West Los Angeles Federal Avenue armories in Los Angeles County; the San Rafael armory in Marin County; the Merced armory in Merced County; the Fullerton and Santa Ana armories in Orange County; the Roseville armory in Placer County; the Corona, Indio, and Riverside armories in Riverside County; the El Cajon, Escondido, and Vista armories in San Diego County; the Atascadero armory in San Luis Obispo County; the San Mateo armory in San Mateo County; the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria armories in Santa Barbara County; the Gilroy, San Jose Hedding Street, and Sunnyvale armories in Santa Clara County; the Santa Cruz and Watsonville armories in Santa Cruz County; the Redding armory in Shasta County; the Petaluma and Santa Rosa armories in Sonoma County; and the Oxnard and Ventura armories in Ventura County, shall be made available to these counties or a city in these counties for the purpose of providing temporary shelter for homeless persons during the period from October 15 through April 15 each year. (b) The Adjutant General may, in the Adjutant General’s sole discretion, use alternate armories as may be necessary to meet the operational needs of the Military Department. Additionally, any county or city, including those not listed in subdivision (a), may use any armory within its jurisdiction subject to the approval of the Adjutant General. (c) At the sole discretion of the Adjutant General, any armory deemed vacant by the Military Department may be made available throughout the year to the county or city in which that armory is located for the purpose of providing temporary shelter from hazardous weather conditions for homeless persons. (d) Subject to appropriation in the annual Budget Act, the Adjutant General may increase or decrease the number of days of operation among all of the armories funded in any year to best meet cold weather demands as they develop. The Adjutant General shall periodically report to the counties authorized to receive funds on the ongoing availability of remaining funded shelter days.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 15301.1. Section 15301.1.

State armories shall not be made available during any period that any organization of the state militia or of the Armed Forces of the United States is conducting drills or other military training or activity at the armory or during any period that the armories have been designated by the Governor or the Adjutant General for use appropriate to a condition of emergency, including, but not limited to, use by the Red Cross during an earthquake, fire, or other disaster.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 15301.3. Section 15301.3.

Any county or city authorized in Section 15301 electing to use a state armory or armories for the purpose of this chapter, in consultation with the Community Advisory Committee appointed pursuant to Section 438 of the Military and Veterans Code or, if no committee has been appointed, in consultation with the Adjutant General, shall obtain a license from the Military Department with the following requirements: (a) The county or city obtaining a license shall be solely responsible for measures and costs required to comply with state and local health and safety codes during the license periods. (b) The county or city obtaining a license shall be responsible for all legal liabilities during the license periods and the state shall be held harmless in each case. (c) Except as provided in the annual Budget Act, the county or city obtaining a license shall be responsible for all costs of providing shelter in the state armory or armories to homeless persons during the license periods, including, but not limited to, all costs for minor emergency repairs, including, but not limited to, plumbing and electrical work, and shall reimburse the Military Department for all costs of providing armories for shelter operations including, but not limited to, utilities, building maintenance and repair, administrative costs, and for National Guardsman for the security of military equipment and property. (d) The county or city obtaining a license shall be solely responsible for alternative housing arrangements, including relocation measures and transportation, for homeless persons housed in state armories during the license periods, upon notification from the Military Department that the armory or armories shall be required for military activities or emergency purposes as announced by the Governor. The Military Department or the Governor shall determine the evacuation deadline. (e) The county or city obtaining a license shall be responsible for providing uniformed security personnel from one hour before the shelter opens until one hour after lights out. Prior to shelter services commencing, the county or city shall also notify officers from the local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the armory and request that officers make periodic visits to the armory on each night of operation. (f) The county or city obtaining a license shall be responsible for providing janitorial service from a licensed contractor or qualified civil service employees in order to meet state health and sanitation standards for restrooms and shower facilities.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 15301.6. Section 15301.6.

(a) Each county that obtains a license under Section 15301.3 shall establish a local shelter advisory committee, which shall have all of the following responsibilities: (1) To address issues related to shelter operation, including, but not limited to, sanitation and security issues. (2) To ensure that the shelter maintains a “good neighbor policy.” (3) To assist in finding long-term solutions for providing housing for the homeless to reduce the degree to which state armories are utilized as sites for housing homeless persons. (b) The county shall select the advisory committee, which shall include representatives from the county and cities within the county in which armories are utilized, local government planning departments, the California National Guard, homeless service providers, local peace officers, representatives of affected community organizations, and advocates for homeless persons. Counties may utilize existing homeless task forces, including, but not limited to, a task force for purposes of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), if the membership of the task force has representatives that meet all of the requirements of this subdivision.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026