The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit left in place an injunction this week against the city of San Francisco that prevents the city from clearing encampments without first offering the residents shelter.  

It all stems from Coalition on Homelessness v. City and County of San Francisco, a lawsuit filed in federal court in the fall of 2022. The plaintiffs in the case are hoping to prevail based on the federal appeals court decision Martin v. Boise, which ruled cities cannot move or displace people living on the street if they do not first offer them shelter, or if there is no shelter available for people in the first place.  

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Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.