Citing safety concerns, the Anaheim City Council is the latest to vote through measures aimed at taking the local unhoused population off the streets.
In a meeting on Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to ban people from sleeping or keeping their belongings on public rights-of-way spaces. These spaces include sidewalks, streets, bus stops and park benches.
“The sidewalk belongs to everybody,” Councilmember Jose Diaz said. “Not to an individual who wants to grab that piece of land. It’s not yours to grab. You either take services from us or you get out.”
The laws also ban blocking driveways and entrances to businesses where the public is invited. Anaheim already had laws in place to prevent camping in public places like parks and government buildings, but sidewalks and streets were not included.
The ordinance, Municipal Code 11.11 , specifically bans the “obstruction” of public rights-of-ways. Police officers will have discretion to issue citations or make arrests. The ordinance will need to pass another round of voting before becoming law, but it is expected to pass.