The Merced City Council was back at work on Monday night dealing with a packed agenda that included updating a pair of ordinances on the books that were meant to address some long-existing, problematic issues regarding illegal campers in public parks and sidewalks, as well as stolen shopping carts that can be found in use or abandoned all over town.
Council members voted 6-1 to move forward with a proposed city ordinance revision on “unlawful camping” that would include fines, and even the possibility of jail time, along with enforcement guidelines that are consistent with current state law and the latest Supreme Court directives.
“Right now probably nobody in this room, who is not wearing a badge, would not feel comfortable intervening with somebody who is sleeping on the street,” remarked Councilman Shane Smith before the vote. “But that doesn’t mean, as a town, we just have to walk by and let them stay there. To me this is a right-sized decision. We would be foolish, if not arrogant, to not take advantage of this opportunity to get people into services, and also make sure that people are not falling deeper and deeper into what they are struggling with.”…