City Politics

Temporary Resting Areas At the most recent city council meeting, the increase in designated “campsites” or “resting sites” was approved. There are a few important points to consider: This action was necessary to comply with the current legal injunction that prevents enforcement of certain homelessness regulations. Without these designated areas, homeless encampments could proliferate unchecked, with no legal means to intervene. There is no question that these temporary campsites which are located in the downtown…

Dear Mayor and City Council, I feel we are being betrayed by the very same people we helped elect and put our faith in. There has been no real outreach effort with the community on this shelter proposal. Many questions and concerns have gone unanswered. We have a vagrant drug addiction problem more than anything else. That is what is destroying our community, fix that issue and you have solved the worst part of our…

Background In a previous article, Understanding State and Federal Law in Regard to Homelessness, I discussed a Supreme Court ruling that effectively gave states the authority to regulate homelessness. Oregon had already enacted laws addressing this issue, including HB 3115, which allows cities to regulate homelessness in a time, place and manner that is “objectively reasonable.” However, this law has created significant challenges for local governments, as cities and counties struggle to implement regulations that comply…