Non-profits worry the ordinance, which does not explicitly exempt service providers, will have a chilling effect on unhoused residents and those who offer resources.

The San Francisco Bay Area city of Fremont passed one of the state’s most punitive laws against homeless residents, banning camping on public property and making it illegal to “permit, aid, or abet” encampments over the objections of non-profits and service providers. At the last count, Fremont had roughly 1,000 unhoused residents, while the city only provides 100 shelter beds.
As Dani Anguiano reports in The Guardian, “The city attorney said the ordinance does not make it illegal to provide food or aid to unhoused people. The council briefly considered amending the proposal to explicitly state that the ordinance would not affect aid workers but ultimately opted not to and the ordinance passed with just one councillor opposing it.”
The law has been widely condemned by advocates and civil rights groups. A letter to the city council signed by almost 20 groups stated that the ordinance would lead to “legal liability and devastating humanitarian consequences.” During the city council meeting when the council voted for the ordinance, hundreds of people showed up to protest the proposal, while other residents expressed support, citing concerns about safety.
Fremont is just one of many cities enacting laws targeting unhoused residents in the wake of the Supreme Court's Grants Pass v. Johnson decision last year, which allows cities to make houselessness illegal even when shelter space is not available.
FULL STORY: ‘Poverty is not a crime’: outrage after California city passes law targeting homeless encampments

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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