Days after Gov. Gavin Newsom put pressure on local governments to dismantle homeless encampments across California, leaders in Los Angeles County showed a united front, unanimously passing a resolution with a clear message: We will continue to take a different approach, the New York Times reports. A vote on Tuesday by the board of supervisors, the five-member governing body of the county, reflected the deep motivation of local leaders to align themselves on strategy for a vast region that includes 88 cities and more than 75,000 homeless people. It also reaffirmed that homelessness would not be criminalized. “Some things,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis who co-wrote the motion, “are better deliberated at the local level.”
The motion, while absent of Newsom’s name, seemed squarely aimed at his executive order directing state agencies to begin clearing encampments from the streets. Local governments cannot be forced to uphold the decree, but they, along with many advocacy groups, rely on the state for billions of dollars in funding for homeless services and could feel pressure to comply at some point. Newsom, perceived as a future presidential hopeful, issued the order in response to a Supreme Court ruling that allowed governments greater authority to eradicate encampments. The leaders have the backing of Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County, who has vowed that his agency will arrest people only if they commit a crime, not simply for living in an encampment. “Being homeless is not a crime, and we will maintain our focus on criminal behavior rather than an individual’s status,” Luna said.
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