Police in San Diego will no longer be allowed to issue “sleeping tickets” to homeless people sleeping outside on city property at night.
In a settlement with homeless advocates, the city has agreed to let people on the streets sleep on public property between
9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The settlement was reached after Los Angeles lost a court case that challenged the city’s prohibition of people sleeping on sidewalks. The federal court ruled it was illegal to prohibit people sleeping on sidewalks because the city did not have enough shelter beds.
The battle against the ordinance had been going on for years. The Union-Tribune in San Diego reported that in 2004, homeless advocate Larry Milligan went on a 19-day fast in an effort to stop the illegal lodging law.
Portland has an anti-camping ordinance prohibiting sleeping on public property unless an emergency has been declared.
