Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/u-s-district-court/)
Resident’s constitutional rights can be forced to take a backseat when compared to a state’s right to protect the public from a disease epidemic, a federal judge ruled Friday.
Santa Ana, Laguna Beach, and Bellflower agreed to provide specific amounts of shelter for homeless people and to not enforce anti-camping laws against them unless they’re refusing available beds that are appropriate for their disabilities.
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.
The company at the forefront of a county privatization push allegedly provided kickbacks, manipulated rates and made unnecessary trips.
Officials say they need clarification before they can implement a federal receiver’s order to move some inmates from the threat of the disease.
Local school districts rack up large legal bills in efforts to avoid paying for services sought by families, sometimes paying more for lawyers than the services would have cost.