Albany moves to address population on bulb

http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_23223214/albany-moves-address-population-bulb

The Albany City Council on May 7 approved a plan to begin enforcing Albany's no camping ordinance beginning in October.

The council also directed city staff to issue a Request for Proposals for a consultant to conduct outreach and engagement with the city's homeless population. The outreach is expected to take three months and cost $30,000 out of the city's discretionary funds. Staff will present proposals to the council on June 17.

In addition, the mayor, vice mayor and city manager will meet with East Bay Regional Park District officials to explore making the Albany Bulb a public park.

The actions came in response to two reports on homelessness presented at the meeting, one by city staff and one by the city's homeless task force.

The council also recommended that the task force, which had 18 months to prepare its report, create a community-based organization to advocate for homeless issues.