10 months ago
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MERCED, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The City of Merced is moving toward enacting an amerciable camping ordinance similar to Fresno’s.
If passed, the ordinance would summation enforcement against those who campy successful nationalist spaces.
Merced City Council voted 6-1 to beforehand treatment connected that ordinance Monday, though Mayor Matthew Serratto says the enactment is mostly a formality.
“I don't deliberation a batch would change. It would conscionable guarantee that our ordinances are accordant with the instrumentality and with Supreme Court's directives,” Serrato said.
The Supreme Court ruled earlier this twelvemonth that section governments tin enforce bans connected camping successful assemblage spaces.
If Merced moves guardant successful passing the ordinance, they’ll beryllium capable to good anyone camping successful parks, libraries and sidewalks.
They volition besides prohibition anyone from camping adjacent a school.
The metropolis is inactive determining however overmuch the fines volition beryllium and however acold radical indispensable beryllium from a school.
“It's important for a metropolis to beryllium capable to modulate nationalist spaces due to the fact that nationalist spaces request to beryllium disposable for the full community,” Merced City Attorney Craig Cornwell said.
The bulk of the metropolis assembly was successful favour of the ordinance, but it was not fashionable among those who spoke up during the nationalist remark section.
“It’s ridiculous. That's what I telephone this ordinance: wholly ridiculous due to the fact that you're truly trying to good radical who are yet going to extremity up successful jail. Why? Because they don't person money,” Merced nonmigratory Gloria Sandoval said.
Cornwell says they whitethorn not person to wage the fine, though.
“The courts person a stateless tribunal programme successful Merced and, depending connected their peculiar situation, it whitethorn beryllium disposable to person assemblage work successful speech for paying the fines,” Cornwell said.
Fresno’s ordinance besides provides an alternate to paying a fine, but truthful acold they person recovered that only 3.5% of people take that option.
“Enforcement doesn't extremity homelessness. Housing does. But the 2 enactment together… You know, we tin enactment with folks to get them disconnected the thoroughfare better,” Serratto said.
The metropolis emphasizes they are punishing an act, not a status. They accidental it is not their volition to punish radical for being homeless.
The treatment volition proceed astatine the adjacent Merced City Council gathering connected Nov. 4.
