Supreme Court empowers cities to ban homeless encampments. What’s next?

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday, June 30. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

• Supreme Court rules cities can curtail public homeless encampments.
• Metro to form its own police agency.
• Major heat wave expected over Fourth of July week.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper

Justices say it’s not ‘cruel and unusual’ to stop homeless from street sleeping

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that cities may enforce laws restricting homeless encampments on sidewalks and other public property in a 6-3 decision that split down liberal and conservative lines.

The justices disagreed with San Francisco’s 9th Circuit Court and ruled it is not “cruel and unusual” punishment for city officials to ban the homeless from sleeping on the streets or in parks.

“Homelessness is complex,” Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote for the court. “Its causes are many. So may be the public policy responses required to address it.”

Gorsuch said the 8th Amendment, which centers on cruel and unusual punishments, “does not authorize federal judges to wrest those rights and responsibilities from the American people and in their place dictate this nation’s homelessness policy.”

Three liberal justices dissented.

“For people with no access to shelter, that punishes them for being homeless,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor said. “That is unconscionable and unconstitutional. Punishing people for their status is ‘cruel and unusual’ under the 8th Amendment.”

While nothing in the decision requires cities to take stronger enforcement action against homeless people, it will free some of them to do so.

Is it really up to local governments to decide how to deal with this?

Yes.

Gorsuch wrote that people will disagree over which policy responses are best.

“At bottom, the question this case presents is whether the 8th Amendment grants federal judges primary responsibility for assessing those causes and devising those responses,” Gorsuch said. “It does not.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that the ruling provides state and local officials “the definitive authority to implement and enforce policies to clear unsafe encampments from our streets.”

What does City Hall think?

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass slammed the Supreme Court’s ruling, calling it “disappointing” and arguing it should not be used to jail homeless residents or drive them from city to city.

Bass, who declared an emergency on homelessness in December 2022, signaled the ruling will not alter her approach to the crisis. She has focused heavily on moving unhoused Angelenos out of encampments and into hotels, motels and other forms of temporary housing.

“The only way to address this crisis is to bring people indoors with housing and supportive services,” she said. “In the city of Los Angeles, we will continue leading with this approach, which helped move thousands more Angelenos inside last year than the year before.”

What are officials from other cities saying?

Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said the high court “finally made a good ruling” and said the city plans to “be much more aggressive.” Parris added he’s not concerned about “appropriate encampments,” but is concerned about those “who camp next to neighborhoods, next to shopping centers.”

“We’re going to be moving them really fast,” he said. He added that the city has a “state-of-the-art homeless shelter” with beds available.

Parris agreed with Gorsuch that the decision should be in the hands of city officials, stating, “that’s called democracy.”

In San Diego, one of the cities that urged the Supreme Court to hear the appeal, Mayor Todd Gloria said the ruling “brings much-needed clarity to how the city can enforce our laws against unsafe encampments.”

However, he added that “it will not change our strategy on homelessness.”

“It is clear that the 1,000 new shelter opportunities we’ve added in the past three years is working to reduce street homelessness, and we intend to continue to pursue additional beds,” he said in a statement.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who had welcomed the Supreme Court’s review of the case in her broader effort over the last year to crack down on crime and homelessness in the city, said the decision “will help cities like San Francisco manage our public spaces more effectively and efficiently.”

Breed has long lamented that, despite the city funneling more resources into temporary housing and treatment services, those on the streets often refuse shelter.

“San Francisco has made significant investments in shelter and housing, and we will continue to lead with offers of services from our hard-working city employees,” Breed said in a prepared statement. “But too often these offers are rejected, and we need to be able to enforce our laws, especially to prevent long-term encampments.”

Check out reporter David G. Savage’s article for more information on the decision, while reporters Brittny Mejia, David Zahniser and Hannah Wiley provide analysis.

The week’s biggest stories

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Travel and transportation

• Metro OKs plan to start its own police agency, wind down contracts with sheriff, LAPD.
• Summer airline travelers expect to face a Fourth of July holiday crush. LAX among the busiest.
• Latest violence linked to Metro: Man fatally stabbed after exiting South L.A. bus.
• Last segment of Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed rail line is cleared environmentally.

Crime, courts and policing

• Hundreds of Rainbow Family members ordered to leave NorCal forest or face fines or jail time.
• 4 dead, 2 hospitalized, cars demolished in crash following DUI pursuit in Upland.
• Protesters on both sides criticize LAPD response to violent demonstration outside synagogue.
• 2 U.S. Navy sailors among motorcyclists killed in chain-reaction crash on 5 Freeway.
• $25,000 reward offered for information on stolen bronze plaques honoring L.A. teachers.
• Could L.A. enforce antimasking laws for protesters? Experts weigh in.
• L.A. County deputy was found dead with meth pipe after double shift, autopsy shows.
• California cops illegally shared license plate details, violating privacy laws, grand jury says.

National and local politics

• ‘A course correct’: How Biden resets his campaign since he’s likely not going anywhere.
• Column: Biden bumbles, Trump lies and we all lose.
• Commentary: How Trump lied about his climate record at the presidential debate.
• Ali: Racism and bigotry get a pass in 2024 as Trump talk that once shocked is normalized.
• Why legal weed is one of the most successful — yet disappointing — social movements.
• Is city status right for East Los Angeles?
• Editorial: Banning masks at protests is a bad idea.

Environment and nature

• One of Earth’s oldest known plants takes center stage in California development battle.
• California environmental group sues U.S. Forest Service over Arrowhead bottled water operation.
• Beavers, back on tribal land after 100 years, could aid California’s fragile ecosystem.
• California’s first-ever ‘climate information system’ falls victim to budget ax.
• Signs of avian flu found in San Francisco wastewater.

Entertainment and literature

• Judge denies Alec Baldwin’s motion to dismiss ‘Rust’ case, allowing trial to proceed.
• What’s it like being invited to join the film academy? These Latinos tell us.
• Kinky Friedman, musical satirist and writer who also ran for Texas governor, dies at 79.
• Kevin Costner sticks to subject as Gayle King questions ‘Yellowstone’ exit: ‘This isn’t therapy.’
• Jared Padalecki slams the CW, opens up about ‘Walker’ cancellation: ‘Can’t fire me twice.’
• A memoir about Chicano studies, intertwined with a history of Compton.
• Fans brave the heat to see Jenni Rivera get a posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

Sports and Olympics

• Caitlin Clark cuts off reporters for ignoring teammate Aliyah Boston at news conference.
• Lakers’ decision to draft Bronny James is a costly move toward chaos.
• D’Angelo Russell will exercise his player option and remain with Lakers.
• U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials: Simone Biles leads as injuries derail others.

Finance and insurance

• State Farm seeks major rate hikes for California homeowners and renters.
• High interest rates are hurting people. Here’s why it’s worse for Californians.
• California’s new high school requirement: Balance a checkbook, manage credit, avoid scams.

More big stories

• For the first time since 2018, homeless count finds fewer people living on L.A. streets.
• Some of L.A.’s best ice cream expands with new Larchmont flagship.
• Martin Mull dies at 80: The comic actor, ‘Roseanne’ star and painter’s life in headlines.

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

Column One

Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and longform journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

Not many victims of the opioid crisis in America make national headlines. Tyler Skaggs was different. The 27-year-old was a professional athlete, a pitcher for the Angels, wealthy and famous. On a road trip with the team, he was found in his hotel room. He had choked on his own vomit after consuming a mix of alcohol, oxycodone and fentanyl.

More great reads

• Pressured by cops, a mom made a false murder confession. Now, her sons can prove she’s innocent.
• Liza Colón-Zayas has put in the work. In ‘The Bear,’ she makes every second count.
• Retiring UC Berkeley chancellor sounds off on protests, enrollment, housing.
• L.A. County juvenile halls are so violent that many officers are skipping work.
• Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz hope to make your life ‘More Better’ with their new podcast.
  

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your weekend

(Illustration by Lindsey Made This; Photo by Willy Sanjuan / Invision / AP)

Going out

• 💐 Pioneering actress Eva Longoria lays out her “perfect Sunday,” which includes swimming and barbecue.
• 🏄 Celebrate the best of beach life at the Santa Monica Pier 360 Beach Festival, starting at 8 a.m.
• 🐕‍🦺 Bring Fido for some friendly races and fun at the Pawlympics at the L.A. Coliseum, starting at noon.
• 🎆 Here’s 50 spots to watch thrilling Fourth of July fireworks and drone shows in L.A.

Staying in

• 🍴 FX’s Emmy-sweeping, deeply immersive restaurant culture show “The Bear” dropped on Wednesday.
• 📖 A man’s trek to Europe tests faith and ambition in Samuel Kọ́láwọlé’s debut novel “The Road to the Salt Sea.”
• 📺 Megan Thee Stallion kicks off the BET Awards 2024 show at 8 p.m.
• 🧑‍🍳 Since we’re officially in summer, here is a carne asada recipe, courtesy of chef Eddie Duran.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search and arcade games.

L.A. Affairs

Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.

(Camila Rosa / For The Times)

After moving from the barbecue to the bars with friends, he asked me out on our first official date, marking the beginning of summer. At Laurel Tavern in Studio City, where I’m sure many first dates begin, Dave and I exchanged laughs and stories on a majestic June evening as friends gathered for happy hour and families celebrated their loved ones’ college graduation. The drinks were flowing, and we — two acquaintances — soon became love interests who had second and third dates.

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Carlos Lozano, news editor

Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.