Berkeley, Calif. – When voters in Berkeley, Calif. head to the polls this November they may be voting on a ballot measure that would prohibit sitting on sidewalks.
The plan, which was crafted by Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, is designed to prevent packs of homeless youth from crowding the sidewalks.
"Sometimes there are so many people sitting on the sidewalks, you can’t even use the sidewalk or go down the sidewalk,” Bates told CBS San Francisco.
The city already has an ordinance that prohibits lying on sidewalks from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. This new measure would prevent offenders from simply sitting up when asked by police to not lay down.
The fine for breaking the law would be a $50 fine.
Bates will present the question of whether to put the law on the ballot to the City Council on June 12th.
Similar laws have been passed in other Calif. cities such as Santa Cruz and Santa Monica.
