If we are going to solve homelessness in California, every city must be part of the solution.  

Homelessness happens everywhere, and unhoused people should be able to remain in their communities. We need every city involved in building housing, shelters, mental health services, addiction services and job placement services.  Not just the larger cities.  

That’s why Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) introduced Assembly Bill 816, which would require “every [city] to pull their own weight.”  As introduced, each city was to submit proposals by 2023 on how to reduce homelessness by 90% by 2030.  Objections arose, however, over pursuing legal action against local governments “should they fail to follow through on their commitments,” adding months or years to the timeline.

Thus, the bill was amended, but not to eliminate the nine-year timeline to act, which is what should have happened. Instead, the language requiring every city to pull its own weight is gone — and with it a golden opportunity for the Legislature to bring every city to the table to solve homelessness.

Local homeless policies will continue to be driven by the number of encampments residents see in their neighborhoods, and by legal settlements resulting in uneven and inconsistent enforcement of quality-of-life ordinances in the public right of way.  

The more realistic road to homelessness solutions will be through the courts. And as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit demonstrated in Martin vs. City of Boise, it might take only one more court case to do it.  

The Boise case ruled that a city cannot prohibit an unhoused person from sleeping on the sidewalk without offering reasonable shelter to that person. 

But Boise only dealt with one element of the crisis — sleeping on the sidewalk.  Boise expressly avoided encampments blocking the public right of way.  

What Boise did on the issue of unhoused people sleeping on the sidewalk, Los Angeles should do on the issue of encampments obstructing public space. We need a Boise-like decision by a federal or state court that creates a legal standard covering a city’s ability to manage its public right of way.

Legal settlements are keeping us from getting that legal standard and a path to finding solutions for homelessness.

Every time Los Angeles or San Diego settles a homelessness/public right of way case, it avoids a court ruling on encampments that could force every city in Los Angeles County, or perhaps every city in the nine Western states, into the process of solving homelessness.

A new legal standard on encampments from a Boise-like court decision would establish uniformity and consistency on this issue so a city will not have a reason to push an unhoused person to a neighboring city. 

When an unhoused person is moved from one city to another, so is the incentive to help them. Moving unhoused people from city to city, unfortunately, is the solution many cities use to deal with unsightly encampments on their own sidewalks.

With a new legal standard, the neighboring city would have the authority to manage its public right of way the same way the unhoused person’s city of origin does.  Furthermore, an unhoused person will no longer have an incentive to move to a neighboring city, because the rules on encampments in both cities will be the same. 

If one city is caught pushing its unhoused population to another city, that misconduct could expose the offending city to legal liabilities. And those legal liabilities are what will force California cities to the table to solve homelessness.

So when it comes to homelessness and public right of way lawsuits, residents of cities across California should tell their leaders: Stop the legal settlements. Seek a decision from the courts and set California cities on the road to solving homelessness — together. 

SHERRI ONICA VALLE COLE for LA CITY ATTORNEY

 HOMEOWNER AND TENANTS RIGHTS ATTORNEY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ADVOCATE AND SURVIVOR, TEACHER AND MOTHER FOR LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY

From 2002 through 2018, Sherri “Onica” Valle Cole, was a career criminal prosecutor with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, specializing in Consumer Fraud and Workplace Protection.  

As a criminal prosecutor she walked the halls of the county courthouses on a regular basis and has negotiated hundreds of cases with bench officers and defense counsel.  Onica’s trial experience as a criminal prosecutor has included cases that involved domestic violence, animal cruelty, assault with a deadly weapon, battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, possession of a concealed weapon, brandishing a deadly weapon, prostitution, narcotic offenses, hit and run offenses and other serious criminal offenses.  

From February of 2009 through June of 2017, Sherri Onica was assigned to a vertical prosecution unit which focused on Consumer crimes.  As a consumer fraud prosecutor, she protected the public by prosecuting dangerous medical doctors, sale of untested and unapproved food and drugs, auto repair theft, marijuana clinics, incompetent and/or unlicensed immigrant consultants, would-be real estate brokers, loan modification, grand theft and the unlicensed practice of law by those who take advantage of low-income immigrants.  

Sherri Onica has vigorously prosecuted immigrant consultants including Gloria Saucedo, Eblin Balver and Jesus Lozano and was invited to lecture at the May 2016 conference on the topic of Immigration Fraud for the California Association of District Attorneys.

“Language and cultural barriers make immigrants susceptible to scams…. Those who are in the country illegally are especially vulnerable because they may be afraid to report wrongdoing... [making it] in some ways the perfect crime.”  Onica Cole

Man posing as attorney lied to immigrants seeking legal help L.A. Times, by Kate Linthicum, June 2, 2015

Sherri Onica has a unique compassion for understanding the experiences of others.  Born in San Diego, California to an interracial couple, Sherri Onica is sensitive to the needs of the diverse population of Los Angeles county.  Sherri Onica is one of four children from the marital union of a Mexican mother and African American father.  Sherri Onica spent her childhood living in Tijuana, Mexico, commuting across the border daily to attend school in San Diego, CA.  Sherri Onica’s father operated his medical clinic in a low-income area of San Diego and the family commuted across the border to save money.  Each of the children had a job, and Sherri Onica was the bookkeeper for Dr. Cole’s Medical Office.  Sherri Onica assumed that role when she was just seven years old.  

After graduating from Clairemont High School in San Diego, as the Class Valedictorian and “Person Most Likely to Succeed” Sherri Onica pursued her education at Yale University in New Haven, CT.  In 1993, she graduated with a degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry.  Sherri Onica always had a passion for the law and continued on to Loyola Law School on a full scholarship.  

During law school, Sherri Onica supported herself by working as a substitute teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District.  She loves teaching students and has a passion for working with children.  Since her graduation from law school and passing the Bar in 1998, Sherri Onica has never stopped giving to residents of Los Angeles County.  In 2016, Sherri Onica was appointed as a Temporary Judge for the Los Angeles Superior Court and served Los Angeles County for three years as a bench officer.  She was certified to preside over unlawful detainers, traffic, family, small claims and restraining order hearings.

Sherri Onica has volunteered with Mentoring Our Student Through Experience (MOSTE), a mentoring organization for young girls in the South Los Angeles Area, both as a mentor and board member.  Sherri Onica has also served as the Criminal Director of the Los Angeles City Attorneys Association and Treasurer for the Black City Attorneys Association.  Sherri Onica has received the Black Women Lawyers Association Community Service Award and sat on their board as the Co-Chair of the Community Action Community, Co-Chair of the Parent Committee and Recording Secretary.  

From 2018 through 2021, Sherri Onica worked as in-house counsel and a civil litigator, completing three civil trials in 2019.  She practiced statewide prosecuting minor compromise pleadings on behalf of indigent litigants.  In 2021, after the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, Sherri Onica opened her own law practice to help indigent individuals access the legal system.  In 2022, Sherri Onica was asked to help the Los Angeles Mission in downtown Los Angeles to re-open their legal clinic closed during the pandemic.

Sherri Onica enjoys hiking and traveling with the Sierra Club and working in her parish.  Sherri Onica most recently joined the Parish Life Committee for the Holy Family Catholic Church in South Pasadena.

Sherri Onica is married to Brent Honore’, a thirty-three-year retired veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department and together they have two young children Merit (11) and Leonicio (8).  In December of 2016 Leonicio was diagnosed with Autism.  Onica has become a strong advocate for special needs children and the larger differently abled community.