Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Barger Comments on Supreme Court Decision

“In September, the Board of Supervisors voted in support of my motion co-authored with Supervisor Janice Hahn to file an amicus brief for the United States Supreme Court to review the Boise v. Martin ruling and provide greater clarity on how local governments should interpret these laws.

Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to not review the Boise ruling by the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals is disappointing.

A review by the Supreme Court providing clarity to the Boise ruling could have added one more tool in our set of strategies to combat this humanitarian crisis. Nonetheless, we continue to move forward with a sense of urgency. This includes my recent housing initiative that calls for a private sector expert to help the county develop short and long-term supportive housing solutions in partnership with local cities.

The City of Bellflower is a good example of how a community can work to solve this issue at the local level. Bellflower has committed to building sufficient homeless housing and has entered into a settlement agreement with a nonprofit agency in Orange County that will allow them to serve their own residents first and foremost.

Our support of the Boise review was about balancing the needs of those on the street with the public health and safety concerns of all residents throughout Los Angeles County. Despite today’s decision, Los Angeles County will continue to combat homelessness, exploring every available option.”