A few weeks ago, the Politics Report revealed that former Mayor Kevin Faulconer was making calls to rally support for a ballot initiative that would make it a misdemeanor to camp in San Diego if shelter space was available.
His plan is to do something in 2024 similar to what is going on the ballot in Sacramento this year.
However, Tuesday, Sacramento’s City Council amended that initiative to require that the city and county of Sacramento have a deal in place before enforcement happens. Sacramento city leaders want the county to commit to a certain level of services and housing before they’ll be willing to arrest homeless residents.
“Without the county and their massive mental health, substance abuse, child welfare and domestic violence infrastructure and resources, this initiative as it stands will not provide the relief that we want and that the people expect,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg told Capitol Public Radio.
Go for the lowest hanging fruit first. Ban tents and improvised shelters. This only requires an ordinance approved by city council.
No one wants to criminalize homelessness, but tent lined sidewalks create a very real public health problem. Find some parcels of government properties where homeless people can “camp”. This can be done immediately and without much cost. If the city can afford to spend millions to rearrange streets to accommodate bicyclist surely we can get the local government to provide vacant lands for our “tented community”. I recognize this is not a solution to homelessness but it is a solution for safe and healthy right of way for pedestrians using the sidewalks.
If you’re smoking meth on the sidewalk and I’m walking by with my kid, does getting arrested for smoking meth on the sidewalk = criminalizing homelessness?
I wouldn’t worry about it, I lived here 6 months before I realized this city even has a police force.
If a person is smoking meth on the sidewalk, that person is breaking the law.
Enforcing the law shouldn’t be contingent on you walking by or who you’re walking with.
Whether the person gets arrested, should be based on his meth smoking; not whether he’s unhoused or owns a penthouse.
California is a Housing First State.
A place to pitch your tent; a lot to sleep in your car or a bed in a giant communal tent is not Housing.
How does this City or State propose criminalizing a person for being homeless when they are not fulfilling their legal obligation to provide HOUSING FIRST?
It’s hard for me to understand since NYC has 5x the population but you’ll never see a tent on the sidewalk because values in the northeast mean that your family’s safety is more important than “homeless dignity” so violent drug addicts, murderers, and pedo’s hiding from their warrants are arrested, not permitted to live in tents next to your home.
Actually, in New York, the city is required by law to provide shelter to all.
True but not relevant here since both cities have shelter space. The problem is that in SD if you refuse shelter you are permitted to remain in your garbage fort on the sidewalk whereas in NYC you’re arrested and brought to a shelter if you don’t go voluntarily.
You bring up an important point. If New York is required to provide shelter for all and they are fulfilling that requirement… then it’s fair for them to enforce laws RE: no illegal lodging; no loitering, etc.
We are a Housing First State. Not a “Provide Shelter” State.
When we fulfill our legal obligation to offer Housing to unhoused people, we also earn the right to arrest people who refuse this service.
Until then, it’s unconstitutional to threaten arrest due to the absence of Housing, when we have failed to provide Housing as required by law.
you can complain to internal Affairs when you feel the laws are not being enforced putting your child’s safety at risk. The San Diego Police Have the DUTY to enforce the METH laws. READ THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE CODES UNDER LAW ENFORCEMENT GOVERNMENT SECTION FOR APPLICABLE STATUTES THEN FILE YOUR COMPLAINTS.14TH STREET POLICE STATION PROPERTY ROOM OFFICER WILL SHOW YOU WHERE TO CONTACT internal affairs.
please submit copies to the district attornee, the Mayors office and the cheif of police and Internal Affairs in my name Jerry Fields. check the statutes for correctness…THEN POST in Your VOICE in either your editorial or mine. Thank you
I would like to include the court documents from my first of 16 86.0139 hearings at the superior court which have been appealed for obvious reasons judgement for contestant, parking adminastrations decision overturned #8 of 16 tickets mailed in one day, today. ten more to follow
and I have paid All the rest except three. I think Todd Gloria should be held responsible for all 86.0139 tickets issued, “personaly” as not one has been legaly enforcable as no adiquate and appropriate sign has ever been printed…And the conditions for enforcement were NOT MET BY HIM,TO GRANT AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE ” ON SUCH DAYS” ONLY.