‘Bad facts make bad laws’: Yuba City police chief addresses statewide homeless crackdowns

In the wake of Johnson v. Grants Pass – a Supreme Court decision which ruled that those experiencing homelessness can be arrested or fined for camping on public property – the Yuba City Police Department delivered a presentation on Tuesday highlighting its local homeless response.

The case was originally filed in 2018 after the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, passed an ordinance prohibiting camping in public areas, sidewalks and alleyways even if there are no safe alternatives for the unhoused population. In June this year, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that issuing fines or arrests against homeless people does not constitute cruel or unusual punishment.