San Francisco to Get Environmental Violation for Homelessness (According to Trump)
Some statistics on the state of California's homelessness:
- San Francisco currently has 8,011 homeless people, up 17% since 2017
- San Jose's homeless population is up 42% since 2017
- Oakland's homeless population is up 47%
- In Los Angeles county, there are an estimated 59,000 homeless population. Of those, 75% remain unsheltered
After a recent visit out to San Francisco for a Silicon Valley fundraiser, President Trump says he plans to issue an environmental violation to the city due to its homelessness issue. He claims that the needles used by the homeless are draining into the ocean, causing pollution. It is still unclear under what violation the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) would accuse San Francisco of, or what they would demand for San Francisco so they could avoid the citation.
San Francisco's mayor London Breed responded by calling Trump's claim ridiculous. First, San Francisco has a combined sewer system designed to filter out dangerous pollutants from reaching the bay and eventually the ocean. In addition, she said that the city planned to add 1000 shelter beds by next year, and is working to advance a $600 million bond aimed at building more affordable housing, in addition to providing more services to those with mental illnesses and drug addictions. On top of that, city officials go out and collect used needles left in the street every month.
While this is all true, the use of heroin on the streets of San Francisco has risen drastically. In August 2018, the city collected over 164,000 needles off the street through their disposal program, as well as through street cleanups
This is the second threat against California by the president. On Tuesday, the president's administration said it would work to revoke California's ability to set tough auto emission standards. This drew a fierce rebuke from California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom.
While both Democrats and the president agree homelessness in California needs to be solved, the Democrats are suspicious of Trump's motivation. Scott Wiener, a Democratic California state senator from San Francisco, said, “Donald Trump is a slumlord who has spent his presidency pushing people into homelessness by taking away health care, food assistance and affordable housing funds...He has no credibility on housing and homelessness.” In fact, it is clear that Trump's frustration with homelessness has to do with having to look at them, and is not fueled by a genuine desire to help or out of sympathy to the homeless' plight.
San Francisco to Get Environmental Violation for Homelessness, Trump Says
- San Francisco currently has 8,011 homeless people, up 17% since 2017
- San Jose's homeless population is up 42% since 2017
- Oakland's homeless population is up 47%
- In Los Angeles county, there are an estimated 59,000 homeless population. Of those, 75% remain unsheltered
After a recent visit out to San Francisco for a Silicon Valley fundraiser, President Trump says he plans to issue an environmental violation to the city due to its homelessness issue. He claims that the needles used by the homeless are draining into the ocean, causing pollution. It is still unclear under what violation the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) would accuse San Francisco of, or what they would demand for San Francisco so they could avoid the citation.
San Francisco's mayor London Breed responded by calling Trump's claim ridiculous. First, San Francisco has a combined sewer system designed to filter out dangerous pollutants from reaching the bay and eventually the ocean. In addition, she said that the city planned to add 1000 shelter beds by next year, and is working to advance a $600 million bond aimed at building more affordable housing, in addition to providing more services to those with mental illnesses and drug addictions. On top of that, city officials go out and collect used needles left in the street every month.
While this is all true, the use of heroin on the streets of San Francisco has risen drastically. In August 2018, the city collected over 164,000 needles off the street through their disposal program, as well as through street cleanups
This is the second threat against California by the president. On Tuesday, the president's administration said it would work to revoke California's ability to set tough auto emission standards. This drew a fierce rebuke from California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom.
While both Democrats and the president agree homelessness in California needs to be solved, the Democrats are suspicious of Trump's motivation. Scott Wiener, a Democratic California state senator from San Francisco, said, “Donald Trump is a slumlord who has spent his presidency pushing people into homelessness by taking away health care, food assistance and affordable housing funds...He has no credibility on housing and homelessness.” In fact, it is clear that Trump's frustration with homelessness has to do with having to look at them, and is not fueled by a genuine desire to help or out of sympathy to the homeless' plight.
San Francisco to Get Environmental Violation for Homelessness, Trump Says
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