Mayor Puts His S.F. Panhandling Measure on Ballot
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SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Frank Jordan has proposed an ordinance that would punish aggressive panhandlers with jail terms of up to six months and fines up to $500.
The “anti-aggressive solicitation” ordinance, which must be approved by San Francisco voters, targets panhandlers who harass or hound passersby after they refuse requests for money.
Jordan placed the measure on the November ballot this week after it was rejected by the Board of Supervisors last month.
Clearing the streets of homeless people was a key pledge in Jordan’s mayoral campaign last fall. At one point, Jordan suggested that street people be rounded up and sent to work camps. But he has taken no effective action on the issue of the homeless, and criticism in the city has mounted.
Critics described the new get-tough measure as political grandstanding, citing Jordan’s sagging popularity and the series of missteps that have characterized the first six months of his Administration.
The American Civil Liberties Union said it is considering a legal challenge.
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