Albany clearing Bulb after settlement with campers

ALBANY -- The city this week continued a cleanup of campsites at the Albany Bulb, one week after a settlement was reached with a group of residents at the homeless encampment who had sued over plans to remove them from the property.

Early this week, 25 of the 28 people who agreed to the settlement had received their payment of $3,000 in relocation fees, according to City Clerk Nicole Almaguer. She added that 27 of the 28 had left the Bulb and that the last one was expected to move out that afternoon.

Thirty people were eligible to take the settlement, either as part of the lawsuit or because they had requested accommodations with the city under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Amber Whitson and Phillip Lewis were the only two eligible for the settlement who declined to sign on. Whitson has been a de facto spokeswoman for the campers, speaking at several City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission meetings.

A camper who was not eligible for the settlement despite being one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit was Katherine Cody. She was arrested at the Bulb for drug possession shortly before the settlement agreement was reached.

In return for accepting the payment, the campers agree to stay off the Bulb, even during daylight hours, for one year. They also agreed to stay off the Neck, the Albany Hill area and city-owned property on Pierce Street.

The city also promised to work with the Alameda County Superior Court to dismiss any curfew or camping violations filed against those who agreed to the settlement.

It's unknown exactly how many people remain on the property. Whitson last week told KQED that there were 36 people still living on the Bulb at the time of the settlement and that eight would remain.

Last year, the city estimated that 60 people were living on the property. Thirteen of those have found housing through a city-funded program facilitated by local nonprofit organizations.

The city has been working for the past year to remove the homeless population from the Bulb so the land can be turned over to the East Bay Regional Park District as part of the Sylvia McLaughlin Eastshore State Park.

See the rest here:
Albany clearing Bulb after settlement with campers