The Oakland City Council voted to approve a new policy this week that makes it easier for officials to remove homeless encampments from public spaces. 

With a 5-1 vote, the council approved Councilmember Ken Houston’s “Encampment Abatement Policy” aimed at reducing threats to public safety, sanitation and environmental health.

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Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.