Will George Gascone, the new District Attorney of San Francisco, increase the number of arrests for 647E (the Illegal Lodging statute)? This law goes back to Gold-Rush times, originally intended to stop people from claim-jumping someone elses gold mine.
The law, as written, can hurt people--especially poor or completely destitute people. They can be charged and serve up to three months in jail for a first offense, for the crime of sleeping in public. A sleeping bag (with cardboard beneath for insulation from the cold) is being considered "lodging".
Taxpayers get to give $600 a day, per person, to house anyone found guilty of 647E--or any other infraction that gets them "three hots and a cot" in the city/county jail. When cities and states talk bankruptcy, they must be more creative options for housing. Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel rooms are $60 a night--doing the math, that's $600 in one month instead of $18,000 a month per person!
This also cycles the money back into the community that is coughing it up.
Dear District Attorney Gascone: This poverty scholar doesn't like wasting money any more than you do. It's about time you got out of the fascist mentality that has been bankrupting San Francisco. This idea isn't new, Dianne Feinstein did it when she was Mayor (1980)--giving vouchers to people to get into SRO's. I hope you like this idea instead of believing 647E will magically solve all your problems.
This is the Loyal Opposition, a.k.a. Bad News Bruce Allison. You could have more allies than you would believe if you did this. Hospitals and psychiatric units are being overwhelmed, realtors are leaving 30,000 units vacant. Where do you expect people to sleep?
If you want to respond, this poverty scholar is willing to talk--at the poormagazine office.