Fresno City Council approves homeless encampment ordinance revision

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Thursday, Fresno city council members voted to pass a revised version of their homeless encampment ordinance.

Many people voiced concerns about the outcome of passing this homeless encampment ordinance.

“You have the money, you’re not giving it to the homeless like you should. You’re giving it to your friends on the north side of Shaw to keep their neighborhoods nice and clean while people over here can be housed. How much does it cost the city to go ahead and imprison them for a year?” One speaker from the meeting said.

The public posed questions for Fresno City Council members, amidst the council’s proposal to enforce a homeless encampment ordinance, which would make sitting, lying, or camping on public property illegal.

In a revised proposal, the ordinance will fine violators $500 if they fail to comply. If the offense is ongoing, they could face serving up to six months in jail.

Attorney Kevin Little criticized the ordinance, stating that it would not only criminalize homelessness but also open the door to more issues.

“It gives officers the discretion to arrest someone for violating this law because, you know, we have about 5000 homeless people in Fresno. So, where are we going to arrest all of them? Are we going to pick and choose certain ones? And who are those certain ones going to be?” said Little.

He suggested that instead of penalizing the unhoused, the issue be solved through long-term housing linked to social services.

“We get hundreds of millions of dollars related to the unhoused community and to deal with their crisis. But most of that never filters down to those who really need the money. It gets sent to emergency services. It gets sent to developers to build temporary shelters. It gets wasted rather than utilized for something that can do a lasting good,” Little said.

Speaker Sean McPherson says he’s been homeless for about 12 years.

“You guys wouldn’t going to do what you do every day without access to food, shelter, and hygiene facilities,” McPherson said.

He says he has used some of the resources that have been available for the unhoused in the past.

Now, he says he feels like he was tricked.

“I can’t be outside on the sidewalk because I utilize these facilities. I mean, now I’m documented homeless, so I’m going to be forced to go to jail because I utilize things that I should be entitled to as a human being. You know, it’s just sad. I mean, and I just don’t feel like it’s going to work,” McPherson replied.

Council President Annalisa Perea was the only one in opposition, and Councilmember Luis Chavez was absent.

The law will go into effect Sept. 15.

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