11 months ago
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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A caller thrust to extremity homelessness successful Fresno County is being fueled by a Supreme Court ruling and Supervisor Steve Brandau, who says helium volition bring a ballot astatine their adjacent committee gathering to prohibition encampments.
The Unlawful Camping Ordinance vote is acceptable for August 6; if it goes guardant it volition empower Fresno County to region stateless encampments. It comes connected the heels of caller announcements by the Supreme Court and Governor Gavin Newsom. Officials with Fresno County accidental they are besides putting distant their ain efforts to extremity stateless encampments.
"Ten years ago, astir of america felt similar homelessness was a precise municipality thing, but present we're uncovering it successful agrarian parts of our county, and truthful it needs to beryllium addressed determination arsenic well," Brandau said.
"That means the large region islands that are successful my district, it would besides see different region islands successful the City of Fresno, similar like Mayfair oregon Sunnyside, and County Islands, similar Tarpey Village and Clovis."
Brandau says the projected ordinance would besides screen areas successful agrarian Fresno County, including those adjacent the San Joaquin River.
According to Brandau, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office volition beryllium liable for enforcing the ordinance, arsenic they person the acquisition and jurisdiction to woody with the unhoused successful Fresno County.
Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni says their eventual extremity is not to criminalize homelessness, but to get affected radical into programs that volition assistance them flight homelessness.
"When we travel retired determination and we interaction you, our extremity is to get you disconnected of the streets," Zanoni said. "Our extremity is to get you into a program. It's to get you into immoderate of these services that are offered present successful Fresno County."
Zanoni says anyone approached by the Fresno County Sheriff's Office volition beryllium helped. Only arsenic a last assets volition anyone look harsher punishments, according to Zanoni.
"As a past resort, if you are not going to determination disconnected the sidewalk, you're not going to vacate these nationalist places. Yes, you volition beryllium cited oregon adjacent arrested based connected the law," Zanoni said.
Zanoni says the ordinance volition let his deputies to instrumentality the enactment needed to woody with the stateless contented erstwhile and for all, actions that the Sheriff's Office was antecedently incapable to bash legally.
"I deliberation we've each seen it. [the Sheriff's Office] speech to these individuals. We archer them, hey, you can't beryllium here. You're blocking the sidewalk and things similar that," Zanoni said. "Well, that the occupation conscionable moves connected to different location. Hopefully, with this caller ordinance, radical volition recognize that present determination is simply a effect to this."
Both Zanoni and Brandau accidental it comes down to prime of beingness and a information contented for those who person to navigate encampments connected nationalist property. They accidental parents, section businesses, and pedestrians should not person to interest astir unhoused radical blocking ft postulation oregon causing disturbances.
"All of these issues, we privation our assemblage to cognize that we spot it, we perceive it, and we're going to bash thing astir it," Brandau said.
If the Fresno County Board of Supervisors passes the ordinance connected Aug. 6, violators could look a $1,000 good oregon six months successful jail. However, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office says violaters would beryllium fixed a announcement earlier being removed.
