In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial July ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, California cities are grappling with the complexities of homelessness enforcement. The ruling, which effectively dismantled six years of protections for the unhoused, has emboldened local governments to clear encampments and arrest individuals for sleeping outside, even without viable alternatives.
The ruling came at a time when many Californians, including Governor Gavin Newsom, expressed frustration over the visible encampments that have taken up space along much of the urban landscape of our cities, drawing attention to issues such as public health hazards and safety concerns. In cities like San Francisco, which have traditionally been liberal strongholds, the response has been swift, as officials look to address the growing crisis amid rising public discontent.
In San Diego, the city’s unsafe camping ordinance, which predates the Supreme Court ruling, allows for swift removals of tent encampments with as little as 24 hours’ notice. This has left many feeling hopeless as they are forced to relocate over and over again, often resulting in the loss of important personal items.
City officials, including Franklin Coopersmith from San Diego’s Environmental Services Department, maintain that they cannot sift through discarded items, especially when they are in unsanitary conditions. Coopersmith explained:
If they’re putting their ID or something next to a meth pipe, our code officers aren’t going to be going through that stuff.
While some local governments attempt to offer shelter options alongside enforcement, the reality remains that available resources often fall short of demand. Secory, who currently resides at a city-sanctioned camping site known as a Safe Sleeping site, noted that having a secure location for her belongings has provided some stability amidst the chaos.
Service providers like Jenni Wilkens, managing the street health program at Father Joe’s Villages, find that enforcement measures severely disrupt their ability to reach vulnerable populations. She explained:
Since the camping ordinance passed, the abatement sweeps have been much more frequent and aggressive.
For many in the homeless community, the frequent relocations induced by city policies lead not just to physical dislocation but also to a deeper sense of alienation from essential health and social services. As the state government shifts its focus from offering personal assistance to clearing encampments, collaboration between city and state agencies remains the most challenging aspect of this new direction. Despite Governor Newsom’s directive to clear state lands, the differentiation between city and state jurisdictions complicates enforcement efforts and leaves many individuals in limbo.
