Overview

• San Francisco arrests and citations for illegal lodging jumped 500% in the six months following the June 2024 Grants Pass v. Johnson decision.
• Los Angeles saw homelessness-related arrests climb 68% despite Mayor Karen Bass’s pledge to focus on housing rather than enforcement.
• By May 2025, Sacramento police had issued 844 citations and arrests for camping offenses and San Diego’s enforcement teams doubled their citation rates after the ruling.
• Smaller cities such as Stockton, Ukiah and Merced also recorded large surges in citations, with Stockton’s rising from 14 to 213 in the six months after the decision.
• The Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency found that 94% of cited individuals sought shelter but only 17% accessed beds, highlighting a growing enforcement–support gap.