SF Voters: Sidewalks Are for Walking Only

Better not rest on city sidewalks anymore, unless you want a ticket.

Voters supported the controversial Measure L, a.k.a. the "sit/lie" ordinance, which would ban sitting or lying on sidewalks between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.

PROPOSITION L
581 of 590 precincts reporting

YES 85,174
NO 73,797

Opponents say Measure L unfairly targets the homeless. Some have even been putting up illegal street art to get their message across. Supporters say residents in some neighborhoods are harrassed by people who sit all day on sidewalks.

A competing ordinance, Measure M, would invalidate Measure L if both passed. But measure M is trailing 56-to-43-percent after early returns Tuesday night.

Mayor Gavin Newsom put the issue to voters when the city's Board of Supervisors voted down a sit/lie ordinance in June. The Measure is also supported by SFPD Chief George Gascon.