The Berkeley City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday night to allow workers to clear hazardous homeless encampments, even without offering shelter, despite fierce opposition from activists.

The decision came after hours of impassioned public comment, The Berkeley Scanner reported.

Councilwoman Rashi Kesarwani, who proposed the measure, emphasized: “I want to reiterate again that we will offer shelter when feasible. That’s not just empty rhetoric.”

Berkeley, which has a population of 124,000 and is home to a namesake University of California campus, is world famous for its progressive politics.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting outdoor sleeping were legal. In addition, Gov. Gavin Newsom last month told local governments to clean up homeless encampments now or lose out on state funding next year.

At least 14 California cities and one county have passed new ordinances that prohibit camping or updated existing ordinances to make them more punitive, CalMatters reported Thursday. Another dozen are considering new bans, and at least four have dusted off old camping bans that hadn’t been fully enforced in years.

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Activists Warn of Legal Action

The vote faced strong opposition from homeless advocates. Andrea Henson of Where Do We Go? Berkeley warned, “If this happens, this is the beginning of the end. This is the death of Berkeley.”

A newly formed group, the Berkeley Homeless Union, threatened legal action, stating they were prepared to take the matter to federal court.

However, city officials reported receiving hundreds of emails from constituents urging action to clean up blighted areas.

Councilman Terry Taplin said, “I’m getting asked, why are we asking for more and more money to fund programs, and people are seeing their conditions deteriorate?”

The final version of the approved measure removed references to arrests and citations but maintained the city’s ability to enforce state and local laws when shelter offers are impractical.

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A Call for Regional Cooperation

Mayor Jesse Arreguín called for regional cooperation, highlighting that some neighboring cities have been clearing camps without offering shelter alternatives.

Councilwoman Sophie Hahn, initially opposed, ultimately supported a slightly modified version of the proposal. The lone dissenting vote came from Councilwoman Cecilia Lunaparra, who expressed concern that the approach would “displace, destabilize and criminalize community members who are already struggling.”

As Berkeley moves forward with this controversial plan, the city faces the challenge of balancing public safety concerns with the needs of its unhoused population.

Read more at The Berkeley Scanner