Federal court denies UC Law motion in Tenderloin homelessness lawsuit

Federal judge ruled in San Francisco’s favor and rejected UC Law’s attempt to hold the City to an expired COVID-era agreement
City Attorney David Chiu and Mayor London Breed speak at a press conference in August 2022.

SAN FRANCISCO (October 30, 2024) — San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu issued the following statement after a federal court denied UC Law’s motion to enforce a COVID-era settlement regarding homelessness in the Tenderloin. Judge Jon S. Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied UC Law’s motion to enforce a stipulated injunction entered into with UC Law that expired along with COVID-19 emergency declarations.

The stipulated injunction required San Francisco to make reasonable efforts to reduce the number of encampments in the Tenderloin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite no longer being legally bound by the agreement and no longer receiving federal pandemic response funding, San Francisco City departments have employed multiple new strategies and initiatives to reduce homelessness and increase public safety in the Tenderloin. The number of tent encampments in the Tenderloin has decreased significantly since 2020.

“We fully appreciate and understand the frustrations of Tenderloin residents and workers, but increased litigation over homelessness is not improving conditions on the street,” said City Attorney Chiu. “I am pleased the Court understood that our obligations under the stipulated injunction ended when the COVID-19 emergency orders were rescinded. Since then, the City has continued to work with residents and employ strategies to uplift the Tenderloin. From our homeless outreach teams and police officers to DPW workers and my office’s Code Enforcement Team, the City has put tremendous resources and effort towards improving street conditions and public safety in the Tenderloin and throughout the City. I am hopeful that in the future we can work together with UC Law to address challenges in the neighborhood instead of resorting to litigation.”

The case is College of the Law, San Francisco, et al., v. City and County of San Francisco, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 4:20-cv-03033-JST. The decision can be found here.

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