Happy Fourth of July, Other News from Sen. Blakespear

Happy Fourth of July! For 249 years‚ our nation has stood as a beacon of freedom and democracy‚ and that is worth celebrating. 

It’s comforting for me to read about our nation’s history‚ because it helps contextualize the difficulties and divided philosophies that face us now. Thankfully no matter how tough times have gotten‚ no matter how much civil strife‚ no matter what foreign threat‚ the United States of America has endured. 

And so have the ideals set forth by the Founding Fathers‚ who sought to create a government of the people‚ by the people and for the people. The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights protect the basic rights of all citizens and create a system of checks and balances to prevent unrestrained excesses of any one branch of government authority. These documents are also a call to action and a challenge to continue to strive for a “more perfect” union. 

I am proud to be an American‚ and proud to be a Californian. I hope you are too. I believe in our representative democracy and the ideals that have guided this great nation. We may disagree with each other on policy‚ but what I recognize to be true is that we love our country. This love of country brings hope that the United States of America will continue to rise to every challenge that faces it. 

I hope you enjoy your Fourth of July and reflect on the liberties and principles that make our country so special.

I had a blast participating in Oceanside’s Independence Day Parade last Saturday! 

Earlier today (July 3)‚ Congress passed President Trump’s giant tax cut and immigration bill. A lot has been written in the media about this bill and how much damage it will do to the country. Here’s the statement I issued.

I recently published an op-ed calling for more urgency to address the unsheltered homelessness crisis in California through quicker‚ lower-cost housing solutions. You can read it in CalMatters here‚ and in the San Diego Union-Tribune here. 

As I wrote‚ Californians are tired and angry about the seemingly intractable‚ unsheltered‚ street homelessness crisis. 

After serving in elected office for 12 years‚ I have been frustrated by the many boxes that we’ve put around ourselves as policymakers that somehow justify allowing people to suffer‚ degrade and ultimately die in front of us‚ while our public spaces become living spaces for other humans. 

It’s a terrible reality for everyone. In the last decade more than 50‚000 people died nationwide after living on the streets. This is unacceptable! 

Now‚ for the first time in years‚ there is growing recognition that we can end unsheltered homelessness‚ if we expand our concept of acceptable housing to be broader than someone’s forever home. There are a number of interim solutions between living unsheltered on the street and permanent housing. 

One proven scalable solution for building interim supportive housing is using temporarily vacant land and modular‚ relocatable cabins. These are not the “shelters” of the past. These are quick-build‚ clean‚ safe‚ modest housing units that provide shelter from the elements and have social workers on site. 

Wide-scale adoption of this interim housing would mean our streets aren’t a waiting room anymore for the 187‚000 unsheltered homeless people in California. Interim housing can be constructed for as little as $50‚000 a unit‚ compared to an average cost of $650‚000 for a permanent housing unit. 

Two bills this year — one by me (SB 16) and one from state Senator Josh Becker Senator (SB 606) — focus on this solution. The state and its regions would be required to develop a plan to reach and maintain functional zero for unsheltered homelessness‚ and they would be held accountable to use the tools the state has provided‚ including the Shelter Crisis Act passed in 2020 and the Low-Barrier Navigation Center law passed in 2019. 

Interim housing does not end all types of homelessness for all people at all stages. We still need to build enough permanent housing to end the housing crisis. 

But unsheltered homelessness is the most devastating‚ and it is actually solvable in the near term when we expand our definition of housing to include “housing now.” 

I’m spending a lot of energy trying to change the narrative around the Legislature to make sure we can move our unsheltered population inside as soon as possible. Permanent housing is the ultimate goal‚ but the state can be doing better to ensure our most vulnerable get inside tonight.

It’s summer in the state Capitol‚ and I’m working hard to advance my legislation through the Assembly. Here are the latest developments.

• SB 92 – Density Bonus Realignment
  • Passed the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee this week.
  • SB 92 prevents the exploitation of the state’s housing density law‚ designed to encourage the building of affordable housing‚ in response to the Turquoise Street hotel project in Pacific Beach.
• SB 329 – Sober Living Complaints
  • Passed the Assembly Health Committee last week.
  • SB 329 would require the state Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)‚ the department responsible‚ to assign complaints about alcohol or drug treatment facilities to staff within 10 days of receiving them and complete an investigation within 60 days.
• SB 477 – Civil Rights Protections
  • Passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee this week.
  • SB 427 clarifies language in the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) so that the Civil Rights Department (CRD) can more effectively investigate and prosecute discrimination‚ harassment‚ hate incidents and other civil rights violations.

To see my full legislative package‚ go to the Legislation page on my website.

Here I am presenting at the TedXEncinitasBlvd event‚ which drew a great crowd of thought leaders from around the San Diego region.

I was delighted to participate in TEDxEncinitasBlvd‚ a daylong event held at the Encinitas public library featuring speakers addressing climate action‚ sustainability and environmental innovation. 

I talked about how Encinitas struggled with and ultimately succeeded in launching a municipal composting program‚ the long fight in California to ban plastic bags from our grocery stores and the state law aimed at eliminating single-use plastic packaging. 

Last year‚ I authored and passed legislation (SB 1053) prohibiting plastic bags from being distributed at grocery store checkouts beginning in 2026. This was ultimately closing a loophole on a law passed‚ and approved by voters‚ 10 years earlier. 

Also‚ as Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee‚ I have pushed for the implementation of SB 54‚ landmark legislation passed in 2022 that sets ambitious‚ enforceable goals to reduce plastic packaging. 

It requires that at least 65% of single-use packaging must be recycled and that 100% of packaging sold in California be recyclable or compostable. By 2032‚ the plastic packaging produced by about 13‚000 producers must be reduced by 25%. 

Why is this so important? Plastic pollution is choking our planet and poisoning water‚ the environment‚ wildlife and our human bodies. The latest science indicates that our bodies and all our major organs now contain microplastics. 

We must move to a more sustainable way of living – more environmentally friendly and healthier for ourselves and our environment. 

In this messy world‚ there’s no playbook to creating systems change‚ but incremental change and advocacy is where we start. Small changes create momentum and direction that helps build the foundation for big changes. 

Once the video is available‚ I’ll share it here and on my website. In the meantime‚ please join me and all those fighting to protect our environment and create a brighter future. We only have one planet. We must take care of it.

CBS8 and other media outlets reported about this raid. To watch the CBS8 report‚ go here. 

I am alarmed to see recent media reports of an egregious action in my district that put the safety of a family and their neighbors at risk during an ICE operation. 

In this case‚ heavily armed agents in military gear‚ smashed apartment windows‚ set off flash bang grenades‚ and pointed firearms at a family in Oceanside at about 6 a.m. on June 18. According to reports‚ they handcuffed two adults and two teenagers. In a video taken by a neighbor‚ the agents claimed to be police. According the 17 year-old son‚ they did not show a warrant. 

Frightened neighbors witnessed and recorded the violence. Neighbors explained to the agents that the two teenagers were American citizens. The agents took both parents into custody with no time to talk with their children other than to say‚ “I love you‚” according to their son. 

The way in which these local residents‚ whether they are documented or undocumented immigrants‚ were arrested with excessive force was cruel‚ inhumane and potentially illegal. These over-the-top tactics were unnecessary and terrorized the family‚ their neighbors and the entire community. 

Thousands of alleged lawbreakers are arrested every day in this country‚ but not like this. I urge the Trump administration to reject these overboard tactics that are causing great harm.

To watch my floor presentation‚ click on the image above (left). I joined (right)‚ left to right‚ Sen. Brian Jones and Steve Messer‚ Board President and founding director of the California Mountain Biking Coalition‚ to celebrate the resolution. 

Recently‚ I introduced‚ and passed‚ Senate Concurrent Resolution 94‚ which designated the month of June 2025 as California Mountain Biking and Trail Stewardship Month. 

Summer is in full swing‚ and we are fortunate to live in a state brimming with beautiful‚ outdoor settings that offer recreational opportunities of all kinds‚ from hiking to swimming to mountain biking. 

I hope you take advantage of this and appreciate California’s incredible natural environment. 

I thank the trail organizations throughout the state that steward thousands of miles of trails for the benefit of all recreational trail users and host community events to bring people together and highlight mountain biking. 

Not only is this a fun‚ healthy activity‚ but California’s mountain biking industry contributes over $2.3 billion in spending to the state’s economy annually and creates over 17‚000 jobs.

Thank you for your support. I am honored to serve you. 

In partnership‚

Email me at Senator.Blakespear@Senate.ca.gov
Call my Encinitas district office at (760) 642-0809
Call my Laguna Hills district office at (949) 598-5850
Call my Capitol office in Sacramento at (916) 651-4038