SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif- Civil rights and homeless advocates rallied on the steps of the state capitol showing their support for a bill that calls for "equal rights" for the homeless across the state of California.
The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, is aimed at protecting the homeless population from being discriminated against. Although, many central coast cities have been struggling with the issues surrounding homelessness.
"Urinating in public, sleeping in vehicles on the streets overnight, camping in the creeks, that kind of thing," said San Luis Obispo Councilman John Ashbaugh. The proposed law would allow people to sleep in public places and sleep in their cars 7 days a week.
It may also require legal representation for anyone cited under city laws such as San Luis Obispo's ordinance that doesn't allow people to sleep over night in their vehicles. "It would either force us to let these people lawyer up at the public's expense or we would have to upgrade from a citation to a misdemeanor offense in order to enforce laws reasonably," said Ashbaugh.
The law would also allow any kind of life-sustaining activity on public property, including panhandling. "We are not sure about how our laws would stack up against this new bill but the bill has a long way to go in the legislature," said Ashbaugh.
