"She wanted to make it illegal for cities to cite or arrest homeless Californians for sleeping outside. But, faced with intense backlash from cities and law enforcement agencies, the legislator watered down her bill. RELATED: From Columbus Park camps to boutique hotel, San Jose's homeless plan is tested Now signed into law and taking effect Jan. 1, it takes aim at an issue that is much less prevalent on the streets of California."
"More precisely, the law says cities cannot bar people or organizations from providing homeless residents with legal services, medical care or things needed for survival, such as food, water, blankets, pillows and materials to protect themselves from the elements. The legislation provides commonsense protections for service providers, especially non-profits and faith-based ones, who are doing the work every day to assist unhoused Californians, Perez said in an October statement."
"San Bernardino County, on the other hand, said the law will override local authority and restrict enforcement tools that cities and counties use to promote public safety. It's not unheard of for aid workers to find themselves caught in the crosshairs of a city's crackdown on homeless encampments. The Bay Area city of Fremont earlier this year briefly made aiding, abetting or concealing an illegal homeless encampment a misdemeanor."
An originally broader bill that would have barred cities from citing or arresting unhoused people for sleeping outdoors was narrowed after strong pushback from cities and law enforcement. The enacted law prohibits cities from preventing people or organizations from offering legal services, medical care, food, water, blankets, pillows and materials to protect unhoused residents in illegal encampments. The law aims to protect nonprofit and faith-based outreach providers who assist unhoused Californians. Some local officials argue the law will undermine local authority and reduce enforcement options used to promote public safety. Recent local actions and court rulings have influenced the policy context.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]