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Contentious vote on state-level homelessness emergency fails; item later sent to committee
Summary
A resolution urging Governor Jerry Brown to declare a statewide homelessness emergency drew sharp debate on Division Street encampment policy and failed to secure the eight votes required; the author later moved to rescind and send the measure to committee for further work.
A resolution urging Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency on homelessness and to coordinate statewide responses failed to pass at the March 22 meeting after contentious debate over enforcement and encampment policy. The author, Supervisor Jane Kim, had sought a board endorsement to press the state for additional resources and coordinated sites to place people in temporary and permanent housing.
Kim described a statewide response as necessary, proposing short-term steps (inventory surplus public property to stand up emergency or transitional housing) and longer-term steps (expedite affordable housing projects and provide an implementation plan). She said the board should ask the state to help municipalities that lacked 365-day shelter systems.
Supervisor Scott Wiener offered an amendment that replaced a paragraph criticizing the city's handling of the Division Street encampment with language that explicitly stated the city's removal of the Division Street encampment was appropriate because the encampment was "unsafe, unhealthy, and unsanitary" and that tents are "not a viable housing policy." Wiener also proposed exempting parks and neighborhood open space from a request that the state inventory surplus public property.
The roll call on the resolution as amended recorded seven ayes and three no votes (supervisors Tang, Weiner and Yi in the dissent), short of the eight votes the item sponsor sought. Because the item required eight votes to pass as a resolution urging state action, the clerk announced the measure failed.
After discussion the board rescinded the vote on Kim's motion (the rescission was agreed without objection) and Supervisor Kim moved to send the item to committee for further work; that motion was seconded and, without objection, the item was referred to committee for additional consideration.
Why it matters: Supervisors debated not only whether to press the state for emergency assistance but also whether the board should formally criticize the city's own encampment removals. The vote exposed divisions among supervisors about local enforcement and whether public-safety reasons justify targeted encampment removals absent more shelter capacity.
Next steps: The resolution will be considered in committee where sponsors and stakeholders can reconcile differences and refine the request to the governor.
