11 months ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson took Gov. Schwarzenegger on a tour of Sacramento's infamous tent city Wednesday, the homeless camp which has gained international attention after it was featured recently on the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
Johnson joined News10 Live_Online Wednesday and said the governor recently expressed an interest in seeing the encampment and spent time talking to several of the residents there.
"He wanted to see firsthand the conditions people were living in, wanted to know what he can do to be helpful," said Johnson. "He talked to people, and asked questions about how long there had been there, and what services they would like to see provided."
The mayor said Sacramentop needs a "tough love" approach to dealing with the homeless camp. He said the city cannot immediately sweep everyone out, that there needs to be a game plan.
Johnson said he started an emergency task force last week to deal with the situation with a goal of giving everyone there shelter or permanent housing.
As time goes on, the mayor said Sacramento will explore the potential of a sanctioned tent city, but not at that location along the American River.
He said there will be zero tolerance for the homeless to remain along the river, which he called a dangerous situation when it comes to health and sanitation.
The homeless task force formed last week will meet Thursday at City Hall to discuss options.
News10/KXTV
