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By Joseph Geha. San Jose Spotlight. Bay City News.
A new bill is being introduced to help house homeless people, giving the Santa Clara Valley Water District expanded authority to help thousands of people living along creeks, streams and other district lands find housing and services.
District officials say Assembly Bill 1469 would add language to the district's governing law specifying that it can assist unsheltered people, allowing it to play a more active role in addressing the deepening homelessness crisis in Santa Clara County.
The bill, authored by local Assemblyman Ash Kalra and sponsored by Valley Water, passed the Assembly unanimously on Monday and will next head to the state Senate, though it is unclear when it will come up for a vote.
Jim Beall, a Valley Water board member since December and a longtime South Bay resident, said that according to the agency,