Steve Schnaar writes: Santa Cruz City Council member Cynthia Chase, elected with a lot of progressive support based on her years of excellent work supporting women transitioning out of prison, has voted for some of the worst anti-homeless decisions to come out of the council recently. However when asked about the contradiction between her past progressive positions and these votes, she refuses to engage or explain herself.

Cynthia Chase, former director of the GEMMA program which supports women in and transitioning out of prison, was elected in 2014 with a lot of progressive support. As a candidate and Council member, Chase has often expressed sympathy for the plight of homeless people, noting that many of the women she worked with would end up on the street. However, her voting record includes some deeply problematic choices, including the "stay-away ordinances" which further penalize sleeping outside in the parks, and the ban on RVs which criminalizes sleeping in vehicles.

Read More | See Also: MLK Day Challenge to City Council to End Homeless Repression