This Gulf City just passed the most extremity ban on Camps in California -Kqed

The cities in California have broken up at the camps as the Supreme Court gave local officials more powers to do so last summer, though none to the degree of Fremont.

Eric Tars, Director of the National Center for Lights of Homelessness, called the city’s ordinance “unprecedented and deeply cruel.”

The NHLC was among 20 organizations that signed a letter on February 7 to the Council warning that the law could have “devastating humanitarian consequences” and arguing that the language is so wide that it is “clearly unreasonable”, exposing the city to legal responsibility.

Council members were willing to amend the ordinance on Tuesday, asking a city lawyer to add a language clarifying that providing food or clothing to people living on the street would not be punishable under the regulation, while helping someone to build a shelter of a shelter It would be open.

But they chose this because it would mean to slow the vote until March.

Local service providers have expressed fears that they will handle the law by performing the main functions for work, such as giving water and blankets.

“If my staff gave someone a blanket to prevent it from freezing at night or a bottle of water, it would be considered a support, right?” Vivian Wang, CEO of Rebode Services, “Kqed told. Abode manages shelter and other Fremont housing programs.

Sabil Landrum, lawyer of the Homelessness Division of the East Bay Community Legal Center, said the ordinance is so broad that residents can potentially be cited to leave a family member to stay in the RV or put A tent in their backyard, if they do, if they do, if they do, if they do, if they do, if they do, if they do it for more than three days in a row.

Mayor Salvan rejected these concerns. In an interview, he said the language in the ordinance was “armed” and insisted that the Council uses a “common sense” approach to give employees a tool to deal with camps that have received the most complaints about the dangers of health and safety S

“The goal is not to penalize people to give water or food or tent or some maintenance services,” he said. “Absolutely not.”

The Council listened to a public comment on Tuesday by over 70 community members who were deeply divided by the proposal.

Those who take advantage of the advice to turn to garbage, noise, loose dogs and smoking fire in their neighborhoods. They complained about urine soaked parks, people who bathe in their yards or steal from them, and were worried out loud about the camp fires spread through their homes.

David Gutierrez, the owner of a small business, said customers should navigate in a camp to get to the door and his voice concerns about their safety, “or they just decided not to patronize our business at all,” he said.

Opponents claim that the law is inhuman and counterproductive, abusing money while driving people deep into homelessness.

“There are better ways to use these funds as social services such as first accommodation and home initiatives at affordable prices, which are the only real long -term options if you do not want people to camp,” says the resident Sierra Fields, “And these are True public safety opportunities. “

Salvan and other members of the Council acknowledged that the ordinance was not a decision and said they would continue to invest in emergency shelters and homes at affordable prices.

Fremont’s budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year includes $ 8 million for homelessness and implementation services, according to city employees. The city has shortened homelessness by more than 20% since 2022, but there are still over 600 people who live steadfast in the last issue-and the city has only 129 year-round beds for shelter.