By | | Bay Area News GroupA federal judge has blocked Emeryville from closing a homeless encampment near a Shellmound Street construction site, siding — for now — with residents and activists who argue displacing unhoused people during the COVID pandemic is illegal.The court order provides a temporary reprieve for a group of unhoused people camped near Shellmound Street and Ashby Avenue. After the city posted notices alerting residents they would be removed this week, camp occupants sued the city for the right to remain in place.Plaintiffs will face off against the city in court next month,...…By | | Bay Area News GroupA federal judge has blocked Emeryville from closing a homeless encampment near a Shellmound Street construction site, siding — for now — with residents and activists who argue displacing unhoused people during the COVID pandemic is illegal.The court order provides a temporary reprieve for a group of unhoused people camped near Shellmound Street and Ashby Avenue. After the city posted notices alerting residents they would be removed this week, camp occupants sued the city for the right to remain in place.Plaintiffs will face off against the city in court next month,...WW…

By | | Bay Area News GroupFed up with city rules that push them from place to place, homeless Californians are heading to court to fight for the right to stay put in the camps they call home.And many – at least for now – are winning.Court orders are preventing cities from Sausalito to Santa Cruz from clearing homeless encampments. Other lawsuits are fighting anti-camping ordinances or securing basic rights for unhoused residents, such as the right to keep their belongings and receive advance notice before a camp is disbanded.The legal victories provide at least a temporary reprieve to...…By | | Bay Area News GroupFed up with city rules that push them from place to place, homeless Californians are heading to court to fight for the right to stay put in the camps they call home.And many – at least for now – are winning.Court orders are preventing cities from Sausalito to Santa Cruz from clearing homeless encampments. Other lawsuits are fighting anti-camping ordinances or securing basic rights for unhoused residents, such as the right to keep their belongings and receive advance notice before a camp is disbanded.The legal victories provide at least a temporary reprieve to...WW…

By | | Bay Area News GroupAs the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, income inequality soars and housing remains scarce, homeless encampments have multiplied along San Jose’s riverfront — pushing the city further from its goal of turning the beleaguered green space into a destination park.Now city leaders are considering a different approach: housing homeless residents near the river, while enlisting them to help clean and maintain Guadalupe River Park.“Can we create something new that perhaps has a benefit for everyone?” asked Ragan Henninger, deputy director of the San Jose Housing Department....…By | | Bay Area News GroupAs the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, income inequality soars and housing remains scarce, homeless encampments have multiplied along San Jose’s riverfront — pushing the city further from its goal of turning the beleaguered green space into a destination park.Now city leaders are considering a different approach: housing homeless residents near the river, while enlisting them to help clean and maintain Guadalupe River Park.“Can we create something new that perhaps has a benefit for everyone?” asked Ragan Henninger, deputy director of the San Jose Housing Department....WW…

By | | Bay Area News GroupGov. Gavin Newsom wants to dedicate billions of the 2021 budget toward addressing the state’s housing and homelessness crisis, he said Friday, laying out a proposal that includes funding to expand a successful pandemic housing program, increase living options for seniors and add beds in behavioral health facilities.The budget proposes $1.75 billion in new investments for homeless housing, including $750 million to continue — the pandemic program that helps cities and counties buy hotels, apartments, dorms and other buildings and turn them into long-term homeless...…By | | Bay Area News GroupGov. Gavin Newsom wants to dedicate billions of the 2021 budget toward addressing the state’s housing and homelessness crisis, he said Friday, laying out a proposal that includes funding to expand a successful pandemic housing program, increase living options for seniors and add beds in behavioral health facilities.The budget proposes $1.75 billion in new investments for homeless housing, including $750 million to continue — the pandemic program that helps cities and counties buy hotels, apartments, dorms and other buildings and turn them into long-term homeless...WW…

By | | Bay Area News GroupThe federal government will continue paying into California’s Project Roomkey until the pandemic ends, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday, eliminating some uncertainty around the program and potentially buying more time for unhoused residents sheltering in hotels throughout the state.Under Project Roomkey, FEMA had agreed to reimburse California counties for 75% of the costs associated with putting homeless residents up in hotel rooms — but the counties had to reapply for the funding every month. As the pandemic dragged on, some Bay Area officials worried the...…By | | Bay Area News GroupThe federal government will continue paying into California’s Project Roomkey until the pandemic ends, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday, eliminating some uncertainty around the program and potentially buying more time for unhoused residents sheltering in hotels throughout the state.Under Project Roomkey, FEMA had agreed to reimburse California counties for 75% of the costs associated with putting homeless residents up in hotel rooms — but the counties had to reapply for the funding every month. As the pandemic dragged on, some Bay Area officials worried the...WW…

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 23: Chad "Bulldog" Elliott hangs out by his SamTrans bus at a homeless encampment on Caltrans property along Wood Street in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. The owner of a nearby private parcel recently gave $2,500 in cash to each of the 5-7 people still on his land to have them move. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)Ending a two-year battle over privately owned land in West Oakland, homeless residents squatting on the property agreed to leave this month — in exchange for $2,500 each in cash.It’s an unusual resolution they and the activists who backed them...…OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 23: Chad "Bulldog" Elliott hangs out by his SamTrans bus at a homeless encampment on Caltrans property along Wood Street in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. The owner of a nearby private parcel recently gave $2,500 in cash to each of the 5-7 people still on his land to have them move. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)Ending a two-year battle over privately owned land in West Oakland, homeless residents squatting on the property agreed to leave this month — in exchange for $2,500 each in cash.It’s an unusual resolution they and the activists who backed them...WW…

By | , | and | | Bay Area News GroupGov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced a limited curfew designed to curtail the nighttime movements of more than 90% of Californians, the state’s latest attempt to slow a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases.The new rule largely mirrors the March stay-at-home order that was the nation’s first to shut down much of the economy, except for one major detail: It’s only applicable at night. Starting Saturday, the vast majority of Californians are asked to avoid gathering with other households from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Restaurants must close at 10, with the exception of...…By | , | and | | Bay Area News GroupGov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced a limited curfew designed to curtail the nighttime movements of more than 90% of Californians, the state’s latest attempt to slow a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases.The new rule largely mirrors the March stay-at-home order that was the nation’s first to shut down much of the economy, except for one major detail: It’s only applicable at night. Starting Saturday, the vast majority of Californians are asked to avoid gathering with other households from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Restaurants must close at 10, with the exception of...WW…

GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS.XBy | | Bay Area News GroupWith the election still too close to call, and President Donald Trump claiming that yet-to-be counted ballots are fraudulent, people rallied around the Bay Area on Wednesday with one message: Count all the votes.In Oakland, hundreds of people gathered in Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall to demand states finish counting every mail-in and absentee ballot before a presidential victor is declared. More rallies were planned for later in the day and this weekend in San Jose and San Francisco. They...…GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS.XBy | | Bay Area News GroupWith the election still too close to call, and President Donald Trump claiming that yet-to-be counted ballots are fraudulent, people rallied around the Bay Area on Wednesday with one message: Count all the votes.In Oakland, hundreds of people gathered in Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall to demand states finish counting every mail-in and absentee ballot before a presidential victor is declared. More rallies were planned for later in the day and this weekend in San Jose and San Francisco. They...WW…

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 15: Brian Hansen, left, and Michele Magobet pose for a photograph in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. The couple along with hundreds of homeless residents in the East Bay are filing claims against Caltrans for taking and disposing of property during encampment sweeps. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)Hundreds of homeless people who lost bicycles, tents and even their loved ones’ ashes when Caltrans cleared their East Bay encampments are applying for restitution as part of a multimillion-dollar legal settlement.Advocates hope that by reaching so many people,...…OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 15: Brian Hansen, left, and Michele Magobet pose for a photograph in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. The couple along with hundreds of homeless residents in the East Bay are filing claims against Caltrans for taking and disposing of property during encampment sweeps. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)Hundreds of homeless people who lost bicycles, tents and even their loved ones’ ashes when Caltrans cleared their East Bay encampments are applying for restitution as part of a multimillion-dollar legal settlement.Advocates hope that by reaching so many people,...WW…

By | | Bay Area News GroupDaniel McClenon’s art stops people in their tracks.As he sits on the sidewalk in downtown San Francisco, hunched over his latest drawing, passers-by pause to exclaim at the skill he uses to capture heartbreakingly beautiful moments. Under his hand, a black and white drawing of Michelangelo’s famous Pieta — a sculpture of a lifeless Jesus in the lap of his grieving mother — takes shape in such realistic detail that it’s hard to believe it’s not a photograph. His portrait of an elderly homeless man captures eyes that shine with a tragic glimmer of hope as they look...…By | | Bay Area News GroupDaniel McClenon’s art stops people in their tracks.As he sits on the sidewalk in downtown San Francisco, hunched over his latest drawing, passers-by pause to exclaim at the skill he uses to capture heartbreakingly beautiful moments. Under his hand, a black and white drawing of Michelangelo’s famous Pieta — a sculpture of a lifeless Jesus in the lap of his grieving mother — takes shape in such realistic detail that it’s hard to believe it’s not a photograph. His portrait of an elderly homeless man captures eyes that shine with a tragic glimmer of hope as they look...WW…