Homeless populations: disease outbreak.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health, which has authority over various programs promoting public health. Existing law authorizes a local health officer to declare a local health emergency under certain circumstances, including when there is an imminent and proximate threat of the introduction of any contagious, infectious, or communicable disease. Existing law authorizes the local health emergency to remain in effect for 7 days, unless the board of supervisors or city council ratifies the local health emergency for a longer period of time, as specified. This bill would require a city or city and county to take certain actions if a homeless population of 4,500 persons or more residing on the streets of a city or city and county is currently experiencing a disease outbreak, or is at risk of a disease outbreak, as determined by the local health officer based on an unspecified minimum incidence rate. The bill would require that those actions include, as applicable, cleaning streets, providing free and voluntary disease testing and vaccination, and developing a systematic plan for outreach to the affected homeless population. By creating new duties for city or city and county officials and local health officers relating to disease outbreaks, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the department to establish a grant program and to distribute moneys in the Disease Outbreak Within Homeless Populations Fund, which the bill would create, subject to appropriation, for the purpose of funding the above actions taken by a city or city and county. The bill would require a grant recipient to, among other things, provide matching funds of 30% of the awarded funding and submit a specified report to the department within 2 years of receipt of the grant. The bill would also make a county eligible to apply for a grant if the county's homeless population is currently experiencing a disease outbreak, or is at risk of a disease outbreak, as described above, the county takes any of the above actions, and the county meets the requirements of the grant program. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Legislature every 4 years, including information collected from the above reports. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.