We at Santa Cruz Sanctuary Camp have often said that the conditions of homelessness exacerbate the problems of being homeless. Nowhere is this more evident than in the enforcement of the current camping ordinance that prohibits sleeping outside. Humans must sleep. Humans experiencing homelessness have few options and usually have to sleep outside. Unfortunately, getting caught by the police means citations and fines that are often too costly for most homeless folks to pay. The results is that people experiencing homelessness often find themselves with costly, debilitating legal problems. Some people turn to uppers to keep themselves awake at night to avoid confrontations with law enforcement which, of course, creates even more problems, not just for the individual but for society…

Recommendation: To introduce for publication amendments to Section 6.36 of the Municipal Code (Camping) to remove reference to the act of sleeping and use of blankets as violations of the ordinance.

Background:  I have devoted a significant amount of energy over the last three decades trying to address the challenge of homelessness in this community. I began this long journey by simply trying to help a group operating a small meal program find a healthy and stable location.  From there, I worked with scores of others to help develop a more complete array of "emergency" services, including a shelter for individual adults, a shelter for homeless families with children, a day services program with hygiene facilities, and a transitional housing facility. Over the cou…

A 2014 law gives the Legislature a role in examining an initiative after 25 percent of the signatures needed for its qualification have been gathered. That could mean the measure's political backers have weeks, or even months, to prompt lawmakers to take action on their own. And unlike now, where an initiative cannot be pulled back once backers submit voter signatures to elections officials, the new law allows supporters of a proposed proposition to scuttle it at any point before those signatures are fully counted and the measure actually qualifies for the ballot.

Read the full article at:  http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/09/27/big-changes-to-california-initiative-process-signed-by-jerry-brown/   

1704. (15-0043, Amdt. #1)  Property Tax Surcharge to Fund Pove…

Attending: Jim Weller, Lynda Francis, Joyce Malone, Bill Malone, Brian Murtha, Franco Picarella, Andrea Miller, Jim Logsdon, Joy Hinz, Cappy Israel, Nancy Abbey, Nora Hochman, Bruce Van Allen, John Leopold, Judy Geer, Reed Searle, Phillip Posner, Peter Nichols, Ed Porter, Sandra Nichols, Robert Morgan, Jeffrey Ringold, Tim Fitzmaurice, Nora Hochman, Gail Jack, Nancy Abbey, Brian Murtha, Casey Carlson, Catherine O'Kelly, Bruce Van Allen, John Leopold

Business Meeting:

2)      Report on Treasury: report on donations of $800 brought in and $275 spent on sponsorship of DCC fundraiser 3/12.

3)      Gail : Affordable Housing Now report; …