Even Oakland starts to get real re: ameliorating homelessness crisis
Image by Daniel Gies
Oakland has long resisted more aggressive techniques to address its crisis of crime and street homelessness. But on the heels of Grants Pass and directives from Gov. Newsom, its hard-left mayor, city council, and city staff are starting to act. The Merc's report excerpted below.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao directed city agencies on Monday to ramp up homeless sweeps in an effort to “return public spaces to the public.”
In an online video announcing the executive order, Thao said the city will prioritize clearing encampments near schools, playgrounds, small businesses and homes, as well as camps that block roadways or pose serious health and safety risks.
“Being homeless is not a crime in Oakland, but it doesn’t give the right to break other laws,” she said.
Officials estimate there are roughly 5,490 homeless people in Oakland, a 9% increase since 2022. More than two-thirds live outdoors, in vehicles or in other places not meant for habitation. The rest stay in shelters.
Oakland is the latest Bay Area city to take a tougher stance on encampments after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June granted cities broad new authority to clear out homeless people’s tents, vehicles and belongings even when they have nowhere else to go. In the wake of the ruling, Gov. Gavin Newsom upped the pressure on local governments to act by threatening to withhold state funding if they fail to get more people off the street.
In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed has made national headlines for ordering a citywide crackdown on encampments and directing officials to fine or arrest homeless people who decline to move into a shelter. In Berkeley, officials this month agreed to start sweeping encampments without first offering shelter or housing.
Thao, who faces a tough recall election — launched in part over the city’s struggle to curb homelessness — had until now been relatively quiet about her plans to update the city’s response to encampments following the ruling. But in announcing her order, she said the court has cleared the way for police, firefighters, public works crews and other city officials to fully enforce the city’s “encampment management policy,” which it approved in 2020.
In addition to moving homeless people away from schools, homes and businesses, Thao directed officials to shut down camps that could set fire to freeway overpasses, BART tracks or other critical infrastructure. She also ordered city departments to target camps where people store flammable materials such as gasoline or propane, or where biological waste poses an environmental risk to sewers or waterways.
City officials said they will continue offering shelter to every homeless person forced out by a sweep.
Read the whole thing here.
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