The ACLU of Northern California sent a letter to the City of Santa Cruz on Monday listing several reasons why it opposes the city’s plan to close the Ross homeless camp by Highway 1.
At Tuesday’s Santa Cruz City Council meeting, City Attorney Tony Condotti said, “I look at it as an opportunity to dialogue” with the ACLU. He added that it doesn’t explicitly threaten a lawsuit, but implies it.
“I do think you have to be careful,” Condotti said.
Condotti indicated that he had a wider reading of a court ruling that prevents cities from ticketing people for sleeping outdoors when no alternative is available. He described a possible defense strategy for the city, should a lawsuit occur.
Kara Meyberg Guzman is a co-founder of Santa Cruz Local. From 2017-18, she served as the Santa Cruz Sentinel’s managing editor. She had other previous roles at the Sentinel, including working as a reporter covering transportation, education and the environment. She has a biology degree from Stanford University and lives in Santa Cruz.
Stephen Baxter is a co-founder of Santa Cruz Local. He is a veteran newspaper reporter who has won five awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association. He holds a master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. His work has appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, Associated Press, CBS News “48 Hours,” MotherJones.com and the Santa Cruz Sentinel. He lives in Santa Cruz.