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<br /> <br />1 ORDINANCE NO. 7606 <br /> <br />AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA <br />2 <br />AMENDING SECTION 9.040.600 AND ADDING NEW SECTIONS 9.040.610 <br />3 <br />THROUGH 9.04.630 TO CHAPTER 9.04 OF THE RIVERSIDE MUNICIPAL <br />CODE ENTITLED “OFFENSES,” TO REGULATE HOMELESS <br />4 <br />ENCAMPMENTS IN HIGH FIRE AREAS. <br /> <br />5 <br />WHEREAS, the City of Riverside (“City”) encourages the use of open spaces and facilities <br />6 <br />within the City by all members of the public; and <br />7 <br />WHEREAS, camping in certain areas has created unsanitary, unhealthy, disorderly, and <br />8 <br />dangerous conditions that may affect campers, public safety first responders, and the general public; <br />9 <br />and <br />10 <br />WHEREAS, the City has authority to regulate and ensure the public’s health, safety, and <br />11 <br />general welfare; and <br />12 <br />WHEREAS, in Martin v. City of Boise (9th Cir. 2019) 920 F.3d 584, the Ninth Circuit held <br />13 <br />that “the Eighth Amendment prohibits the imposition of criminal penalties for sitting, sleeping, or <br />14 <br />lying outside on public property for homeless individuals who cannot obtain shelter.” (Ibid.); and <br />15 <br /> WHEREAS, the Boise decision applies only to the issuance of criminal penalties for sitting, <br />16 <br />sleeping, or lying outside to persons experiencing homelessness who cannot obtain shelter; and <br />17 <br /> WHEREAS, the Boise court qualified its holding, expressly stating that it was not <br />18 <br />suggesting “that a jurisdiction with insufficient shelter can never criminalize the act of sleeping <br />19 <br />outside. Even where shelter is unavailable, an ordinance prohibiting sitting, lying, or sleeping <br />20 <br />outside at particular times or in particular locations might well be constitutionally permissible.” <br />21 <br />(Boise, supra, at 1048, n. 8.) “\[T\]he opinion holds only that municipal ordinances that criminalize <br />22 <br />sleeping, sitting or lying in all public spaces, when no alternative sleeping space is available, violate <br />23 <br />the Eighth Amendment." (Ibid, citing Boise, supra, 902 F.3d at 1035 \[emphasis in original\].); and <br />24 <br />WHEREAS, Riverside Municipal Code Section 9.04.600 prohibits camping but is not <br />25 <br />enforced when no alternative sleeping space is available, and <br />26 <br />WHEREAS, the City intends to act in compliance with the Boise decision; and <br />27 <br /> <br />28 <br /> <br />C ITY A TTORNEY’S O FFICE <br /> <br /> <br />3750 UNIVERSITY AVE., STE. 250 <br />R IVERSIDE, CA 92501 <br />(951) 826-5567 <br /> <br /> <br />