Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/carol-sobel/)
Judge Percy Anderson removed four of the five cities being sued in the closely-watched case, and rejected the existing legal arguments against the fifth. He left open the possibility of the case being re-filed as a series of separate lawsuits against cities.
“This is a game-changer,” Judge David O. Carter told the courtroom Tuesday before signing off on the settlement, which the court can enforce for the next three years.
It was U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson’s first ruling in a closely-watched civil rights lawsuit against south OC cities.
South county cities are entitled to litigate before a judge “whose impartiality neither the parties nor the public have a reasonable basis to question,” the ruling states.
San Clemente is moving its homeless population to a city-owned lot Friday, but homeless rights attorney Carol Sobel warns the move is unconstitutional.
Five South Orange County cities will head to Federal court after a lawsuit filed by attorneys alleged dumping of homeless people and blamed the region’s lack of shelters.
Anaheim officials cleared out homeless encampments at Maxwell Park Friday morning and sent roughly 30 people to the newly opened 200-bed emergency homeless shelter near Angel Stadium four days before Christmas, as part of a settlement in a federal lawsuit.
At least 575 new homeless shelter beds will be built in north Orange County under a series of court-enforceable settlement agreements reached in recent days between attorneys for homeless people and the cities of Anaheim, Orange and Tustin.
South Orange County also is set to be brought into the federal case, as the judge expressed frustration at the lack of a south county shelter site.
U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter warned the County of Orange and its cities they will need to make significant progress on plans for new emergency shelter housing for the homeless, or face a possible court ruling or temporary injunction stopping the enforcement of anti-camping laws.