The Anaheim City Council has voted to approve a settlement that resolves a civil rights lawsuit concerning unhoused people. The formal approval of this settlement was executed by the Anaheim City Council on Tuesday.
The legal history of this matter began in December 2020. During that month, a formal lawsuit was lodged within the Superior Court system. The parties responsible for initiating this legal action included a collective of eight individuals as well as Oma’s Angel Foundation.
The core of the dispute involved civil rights issues affecting unhoused people, intersecting with actions involving the Anaheim City Council and Orange County. Following the approval granted by the Anaheim City Council on Tuesday, statements regarding the resolution were shared publicly.
Regarding the impact of the newly approved agreement, Minouche Kandel told a local news report, "This agreement benefits the entire community because it will help to ensure that no one has to endure sexual harassment, invasive searches or dangerous living conditions simply because they need a place to sleep."
The trajectory of the case spans several years, tracing back to the initial Superior Court filing executed in December 2020 by the eight individuals and Oma’s Angel Foundation. Elaborating on the significance of the resolution, Minouche Kandel told a local news report, "Our clients spent nearly six years fighting policies that stripped people of their dignity and treated them as people to be hidden from public view. This settlement is an important milestone, but we are not done. We hope Orange County can also agree to not violate the constitutional rights of our unhoused neighbors. Everyone deserves safe, stable housing, not shelters that violate their basic rights."
The recent decision by the Anaheim City Council on Tuesday brings a formal administrative conclusion to the settlement agreement. This concludes the chapter opened in December 2020 when the eight individuals and Oma’s Angel Foundation first filed their civil rights lawsuit in Superior Court. The arrangement involves the Anaheim City Council, Orange County, and the framework established to address the rights and treatment of unhoused people as outlined in the original legal complaint.
