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Thursday, July 04-July 10, 2024
SoCal officials respond to Supreme Court ruling on encampments By Joe Taglieri
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he city of San Bernardino and officials representing the Los Angeles area responded to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday easing legal restrictions on removing homeless encampments. In the case Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court considered whether cities could legally clear encampments and have police cite homeless individuals for sleeping in public places. A 6-3 majority found that laws prohibiting camping in public places were not considered cruel and unusual punishment. In December 2018, two homeless individuals filed a lawsuit in December 2018 on behalf of the homeless population of Grants Pass, Oregon, that challenged the city's anti-camping regulations. The city is currently under an injunction preventing local police from removing encampments or citing people who sleep outside in public space. “Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court will not solve the homelessness issue, however it does provide much needed clarity," according to a statement by city spokesman Jeff Kraus. "It confirms that cities like San Bernardino have the legal authority to maintain and clean public property and can make that public property available to all residents, not just those who are unhoused. "We hope this ruling will encourage more individuals to accept the services
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available to help them stabilize their lives and we look forward to returning San Bernardino parks to our families and children. "The ruling does not affect the current injunction the City of San Bernardino is under restricting its ability to address encampments," Kraus worte. "So, despite the ruling, the City remains prohibited from performing encampment cleanups. We continue to work to have the injunction lifted or end the case and expect to have a resolution very soon.” San Bernardino is subject to a preliminary injunction issued in January by Judge Terry Hatter in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the SoCal Trash Army and three individuals alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The plaintiffs also claim authorities illegal handled individuals' personal belongings during
an encampment cleanup. The Supreme Court's 6-3 rejection of the constitutional challenge held that penalizing unhoused people for sleeping outside when there is no available shelter does not violate the Eighth Amendment. Justices Sonya Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented. The ruling gave cities and counties broader legal powers to arrest, cite and fine people for sleeping outdoors in public areas and reversed legal protections for homeless residents in California and other states. A prior federal court decision in Martin v. Boise by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals "held that the Eighth Amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause bars cities from enforcing public-camping ordinances like these See Encampments Page 24
against homeless individuals whenever the number of homeless individuals in a jurisdiction exceeds the number of 'practically available' shelter beds," according to the Supreme Court ruling. "A handful of federal judges (can't) begin to 'match' the collective wisdom the American people possess in deciding 'how best to handle' a pressing social question like homelessness," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. "The Constitution’s Eighth Amendment serves many important functions, but it does not authorize federal judges to wrest those rights and responsibilities from the American people and in their place dictate this Nation’s homelessness policy." In the dissenting opinion, Sotomayor wrote, "Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime. For some
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Riverside County 4th of July shows begin last weekend, continue through Friday
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A homeless encampment in Arcadia. | Photo by Terry Miller/HeySoCal.com
VOL. 8,
By City News Service
ourth of July celebrations to mark America's 248th birthday will got underway across Riverside County last weekend, and a number of events with fireworks and festivities were planned throughout this week. The city of Menifee's traditional "Independence Day Celebration" was held in Wheatfield Park, 30627 Menifee Road, starting Saturday at 4 p.m., with a parade along La Piedra Road. "Menifee's annual celebration is a wonderful opportunity to join together and celebrate our nation as a community," Mayor Bill Zimmerman said. "There will be plenty of music, food, fun and fireworks to keep everyone in the family entertained." Festivities included the parade, a large variety of food and craft vendors, a kids' play zone with bounce houses, beer garden and music by the Chris Lozano Band and Stone Soul. Around the same time, Murrieta combined pre-Independence Day festivities with a 33rd Birthday Bash for the municipality, which incorporated in 1991. At 2 p.m., there was an outdoor concert, food vendors, a kids' play zone and pyrotechnics after nightfall in California Oaks Sports Park, 40600 California Oaks Road. "Murrieta is a vibrant city characterized by its strong sense of community," City Manager Kim Summers said. "We are See 4th of July Page 11
3 convicted in scam involving illicit tows in Temecula Valley By City News Service
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sentencing date was pending Monday for three ex-lawmen and a tow company operator who perpetrated a scam that involved the deputies steering business to the proprietor in exchange for bribes. After deliberating barely two days, a Riverside jury on Friday convicted former Riverside County sheriff's Lt. Samuel Flores, former sheriff's Sgt. Robert Martin Christolon and Cody Close in the fraud that resulted in unwarranted costs for an unknown number of county residents. Flores and Christolon were each found guilty of one count of accepting bribes and conspiracy, while Close was convicted of three counts of bribing public officers. Jurors acquitted Flores and Christolon of unlawful use of a government computer network. Their co-defendant, retired Deputy Kevin Alton CarpenSee Tow scam Page 23