XPost: alt.society.homeless, oc.general, sac.politics
XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.society.mental-health

https://voiceofoc.org/2025/01/another-orange-county-city-cracks-down-on- homeless-camps/

Brea is the latest in a wave of Orange County cities taking aim at
homeless camps by bolstering anti-camping laws.

This week, Brea City Council members voted unanimously to take the first
steps in strengthening anti-camping laws, making it unlawful for homeless people to camp or loiter in public places or leave personal belongings in places like sidewalks.

At the council meeting, Brea Police Chief Adam Hawley said they’re also
going to continue offering services.

“We’re going to continue with that approach to be able to provide
proactive engagement and enhance positive street outreaches. These
ordinances are an important tool in order to enforce laws for those who
may be service resistant and to promote public safety and public health,” Hawley said.

Hawley, who also serves as the chairman of the North Orange County Public Safety Collaborative, gave credit to the Hope Center and the Brea Resource Center for homeless outreach efforts.

A couple years ago, the collaborative – in partnership with local churches
– launched a low-interest loan program to help families get off Orange
County streets and into housing.

The ordinance voted on by the city council amended the existing laws
around camping like reducing the time police may impound abandoned
personal property and prohibiting camping on private property to
specifically include retail shopping center parking lots.

If approved in February, sleeping in cars will also be prohibited as well
as underground camping. Anti-loitering laws in places like parks and bus benches will also be instituted if passed.

In June last year, a Supreme Court ruling made it legal for cities to cite
and arrest people sleeping on sidewalks and parks despite the availability
of no shelter beds.

Prior to their ruling, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision deemed it unlawful for a person to be criminally punished for loitering or sleeping
on public property unless the city had a certain number of shelter beds.

Since a majority of Supreme Court Justices overturned that ruling last
June, several OC cities tightened anti-camping laws.

Anaheim, Newport Beach, Irvine, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Aliso Viejo and Stanton are among the OC cities that have overhauled their anti-camping
laws after the Supreme Court ruling.

In Anaheim, it is unlawful to smoke tobacco or cannabis in parks, bus
stops or near daycares and schools, assemble and sell bikes on public
property and block sidewalks.

Similarly, in Santa Ana, the city council made it illegal to sleep or
loiter in public places.

Officials and city staff in Anaheim and Santa Ana expressed similar
sentiment as Brea Police Chief Hawley, in that these new ordinances could
help reach people who resist taking help.

In July last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom called on city officials to “do their part” in addressing the homeless crisis and cleaning up encampments

According to the 2024 point in time count, there are 7,322 homeless
people. 4,173 of those people are unhoused in Orange County.

Gigi Gradillas is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her
at gigi.gradillas@gmail.com or on Twitter @gigigradillas.


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