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Homeless union drops lawsuit against SLO County but plans new complaint

May 18, 2024

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A group of homeless individuals who formerly lived at the safe parking site off Highway 1 near the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office has dropped its lawsuit against the county and the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO). However, the group intends to file a new suit against SLO County and possibly other defendants. [Tribune]

Established in 2021 as a temporary safe parking site during the pandemic, the county began taking steps last year to close the site.

In January, a homeless union attorney filed a lawsuit on behalf of 10 former safe parking residents seeking an injunction to delay the closure of the site on the grounds that closing it would violate the homeless individuals’ 14th Amendment rights. 

In February, a judge granted a temporary restraining order that delayed the site’s closure. However, Central District Judge Andre Birotte Jr. did not grant the injunction, ruling that residents had plenty of opportunities to relocate and had agreed to several relocation deadlines in the past.

Earlier this month, SLO County agreed to give $60,000 to the group of 10 homeless people who remained at the safe parking site. Then on May 6, following the departure of the final 10 residents, SLO County officials closed the site.

On Thursday, the homeless union agreed to dismiss its lawsuit. With the parking site now closed, the union did not see a point in continuing its existing litigation, said Anthony Prince, the union’s attorney.

But, the union now intends to seek damages related to misuse of funds and wrongful conduct onsite by the county and CAPSLO. Additionally, a potential suit could name new defendants, including Johnboy’s Towing and several county employees involved with the site. Johnboy’s Towing profited from a county contract to move several vehicles from site, Prince alleges.

Likewise, additional homeless individuals living in SLO County could join a new case as plaintiffs. 

The union intends to sue the county again in late June or early July. The new suit would challenge the constitutionality of parking and camping restrictions, which was not the main thrust of the previous lawsuit, Prince said. 

Last summer, a San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury report called out the SLO County Department of Social Services and CAPSLO for failing to accomplish tasks they were paid to perform at the county’s safe parking site and for refusing to hand over records.

Multiple members of the safe parking community contend CAPSLO’s failures hampered their ability to move into housing. For example, CAPSLO was paid to help residents register their vehicles, a contracted service CAPSLO allegedly failed to perform.

The grand jury found that those managing the site were unsuccessful at helping the majority of its participant households successfully transition to permanent housing. With a transition rate of 14%, the county safe parking site fell well below the median rehousing rate of 40% found in a 2021 nationwide study of 43 safe parking programs, according to the grand jury report.

 


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As PROUD Member of the California Homeless Union, I will stand behind, alongside or in front in my right to pursue the Demand for a quality Life as YES I am entitled to. (Just the same as the others that you ignore, in their pain, on the street or run to complain about, when you see a Trailer park by your holier -than- thou business ) .Along with Respect simply because I am a Living soul… Not to be looked down upon because I dont dwell amongst Diamonds and Gold, or maybe have a style of dress that [you] don’t approve of.

If you think you need to complain about people raking in undeserved income , your ” taxpayers money” . …then complain about the OUTRAGEOUS salaries that the county ” supervisors” and various city ” leaders” suck out of us , insulting House and Apt rents ( which is creating most of the homelessness ) And Don’t forget All of the people working in Social Services, and various Homeless ” non profits” who do little more than push and stamp papers. Or pass you on to some body else. Huge amounts of money were alloted or even donated to these ( trusted ) organizations. And that’s just part of what our lawsuit is about. Also much mistreatment and putting people back to the streets, not fulfilling their promises.


You’ve seen many of the same people on the streets for years. Unless they’ve died of neglect ,ailments or just gotten old waiting for help. Very few have gotten housing!! Those of us who are Seniors, and are plagued with a sickeningly low retirement income, are stuck floating around- never affording any place to live. How is that something we’re supposed to be blamed for.? It’s gotten old reading such uneducated and inexperienced comments as these as well as the negative attitude from you- the public. And further spread by sensationalist media. For you’re information not everybody is using drugs. So that’s become an overly stale cliche . Not everybody leaves messes where ever they go. Believe me , the way this Greedy society is acting ,you all will have friends and or relatives in similar situations ,if not yourself.. someday Since Humans have failed to control their own population, there just isn’t enough for everybody anymore..and when a ( community ) doesn’t care… well , we’ve got one here. The most [ un ] happiest place in America.!

All our small group wanted mostly, was a low cost RV campground, a nice quiet space – and there’s ENDLESS land here to provide that, they just NEVER tried. !! ( with amenities that we DIDNT have , like decent plumbing , drinking water, trees for shade or comfort from extreme weather) where we might live modestly in peace, not constantly being circled and haunted by cops or useless ” social workers ” And FYI, the money that was alloted is being used to keep us rolling from campground to motel to ?? Again , ONLY temporary solutions. Ask yourself why so much money is spent on no parking signs, deforming the Bus stops, endless fences, unnecessary security, combination locks on the bathrooms and stamping [still] more papers.. but nothing beneficial is accomplished. Slo has nothing to pat themselves on the back for concerning this issue. We’ll see some justice here..in this county.. eventually. !!


1

Meanwhile, Dan DuVaul is still in the back of the room with his hand raised…


7

A few interesting parties would like to take Duval’s property away,clear it,developed it with more unaffordable houses.


3

I’m sorry “homeless union?” Do they contribute to community that makes them somehow entitled to have their “lifestyle” funded by people who actually work and earn what they have?

(And lately that ain’t a lot)

You work and pay taxes so the homeless can comfortably live? Are we buying their dope now, too?

What are homeless going to do now that their State is being invaded by those who, also, think they’re entitled?


16

I guess you should start by tearing down the Statue of Liberty….hmm ??


0

This is why we had vagrancy laws… to keep this from ever happening… someone sooner or later in California is going to have to risk legal action and litigation to end this nonsense of people sleeping in the streets… its not safe nor clean or environmentally sound….

No one has a right to steal shopping carts litter the environment crap behind a bush and live in a place you can’t afford…


18

It appears there is more profit to be made from not solving this issue than there is for solving it. Way too much money tossed around; way too few results.


44

“No good deed goes unpunished”. They have a lot of nerve suing after getting everything for free, plus cash to boot.


37

The homeless ,smell blood in the water . They will start poring in now . SLO is easy money .


16

Be aware that the County BOS will be approving (no doubt) a “temporary” homeless project above the old General Hospital in SLO on Tuesday, May 21. How many times do these well-intended projects need to fail? The one before the BOS is funded with a $7,000,000 grant; if approved by June 30, the nonprofit gets another $7,000,000. The Homeless-Industrial Complex is alive and well here.


49

End the free handouts. End the lawsuits that cost us tax paying citizens. The members of the Homeless Union need to pay all costs associated with their upkeep. Self sufficient and respect are good virtues, end taxpayer support for the freeloaders. No one but me is supportive me, I have no interest in supporting others.


30

None of the funding was taxpayers money ! Capslo specifically solicited Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Goldmine


0