In a city where tents line sidewalks and underpasses like stubborn shadows, Barbara Lee is proposing something bold enough to sound almost mythical: cutting street homelessness in half within five years.
As she approaches the end of her first year as mayor of Oakland, Lee has rolled out a sweeping plan that shifts focus away from encampment crackdowns and toward prevention and housing expansion. Her argument is simple but sharp edged. Sweeps alone have failed. Even as the city increased enforcement, homelessness continued to rise.
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