On May 2, President Trump released a budget blueprint for the next fiscal year that would take a chainsaw to social, environmental and education programs. Some of the sharpest cuts are directed at housing programs that are meant to serve the poor, housing insecure and unhoused. In California, millions are served by these funds and […]
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Supreme Court Gives Cities in California and Beyond More Power to Crack Down on Homeless Camps
The U.S. Supreme Court today granted cities more power to arrest, cite and fine people who sleep outside in public places — overturning six years of legal protections for homeless residents in California and other western states. In Grants Pass v. Johnson, the court sided with Grants Pass in a 6-3 decision — ruling an […]
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Lawmakers Want to Know Why Billions in Spending isn’t Reducing Homelessness
The state has spent billions of dollars on homelessness in recent years. So why is the crisis getting worse instead of better? That’s what a bipartisan group of California legislators is trying to get to the bottom of by calling for a first-of-its kind, large-scale audit of the state’s homelessness spending. The state has stepped […]
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Eureka to Host Mental Health Town Hall
The city of Eureka and Humboldt County Behavior Health will host the first in what’s aimed to be a quarterly series of town hall meetings focused on community health Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Eureka City Hall, 531 K St. Topics for the series will revolve around mental health, substance abuse and homelessness […]
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California Homelessness: Where are the State’s Billions Going? Here’s the New, Best Answer
In Sacramento, there’s a word that keeps popping up during discussions about the state’s homelessness crisis: “accountability.” Gov. Gavin Newsom has scolded cities and counties for failing to get more people off the street, hundreds of millions in state spending notwithstanding. “Californians demand accountability and results, not settling for the status quo,” the governor said […]
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‘Forcing the Hand’: Gavin Newsom Leans into Legislative Agenda as First Terms Nears End
As California’s legislative session comes to an end tonight, the priorities and focus of the closing days have been heavily shaped by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who in the final year of his first term has taken significant steps to execute his agenda through legislation like never before. His first three years in office saw Newsom […]
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Newsom Unveils ‘Completely New Strategy’ for California’s Mental Health Crisis
Gov. Gavin Newsom today unveiled a much anticipated proposal to address a mental health crisis increasingly visible on trash-strewn sidewalks and in cramped jail cells around California. The proposal, known as the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (or CARE) Court, would provide a framework for courts to compel people with serious mental illnesses and substance […]
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Is ‘Right to Housing’ a Solution to California Homelessness?
The law says that every student is entitled to a free public education. What if it said the same about housing? That’s what Darrell Steinberg, the mayor of Sacramento, believes to be the key to addressing California’s homelessness. He recently proposed an ordinance that would require the city to provide at least two housing or […]
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City of Eureka Halts Enforcement on New Camping Ordinance
The city of Eureka has halted enforcement on a camping ordinance that was set to take effect tonight at midnight according to a release by the Legal Services of Northern California and Disability Rights California. The Eureka City Council passed the ordinance on Nov. 17 prohibiting involuntary camping in most parts of Eureka including business districts and […]
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Eureka Council Passes New Camping Ordinance
After nearly two hours of discussion, the Eureka City Council voted Tuesday to pass an ordinance repealing and replacing the city’s camping ordinance, with Councilmember Leslie Castellano dissenting. The ordinance was altered to reflect public concern over perceived criminalization of homelessness, changing the recommended criminal charges for involuntary camping from a misdemeanor to an infraction. […]
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UPDATED: Eureka City Council to Consider Camping Ban
The Eureka City Council will revisit the issue of camping within city limits tomorrow night as it considers Bill No. 989-C.S. – Camping Ordinance, a repeal and replacement of its current ordinance banning camping in public spaces. The adjustment appears to be in response to the 2019 Ninth Circuit Court case Martin vs. City of Boise, […]
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The Yurok Tribe Receives $2.2 million Grant for Homelessness
The Yurok Tribe received a $2.2 million grant from California’s Homekey Program to address homelessness, the same grant St. Joseph Health received for its Providence Eureka housing project. According to a release, the Yurok Indian Housing Authority will purchase a motel in Eureka for permanent housing for 30 people who are experiencing or are at […]