Cities on the west coast have been fighting two 9th Circuit Court decisions which limit their ability to remove homeless encampments. The 2018 Boise decision and the 2022 Grants Pass, Oregon decision effectively mean that cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles can’t clear sidewalks or parks unless they have a bed to offer every homeless person in their jurisdiction.
But as many, including Mayor London Breed of SF have pointed out, many homeless people routinely refuse offers of shelter because they’d rather remain on the streets. In effect, this means the courts are requiring cities and counties to have open beds they know will never be filled in hopes the homeless will agree to move inside when asked.
Gov. Newsom and the cities of LA, SF, Portland, Phoenix and others have asked the Supreme Court to take up these 9th Circuit Court decisions and overturn them arguing that…
