Effort backed by Mayor Hoy to make homeless camp sweeps easier advances

An effort backed by Salem Mayor Julie Hoy to make it easier for cities and counties to remove homeless people and their belongings from public spaces is a step closer to appearing on Oregon ballots next fall.

Chief petitioners for the initiative, called the Local Control & Safety Act, submitted 1,770 sponsorship signatures Wednesday to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, according to a news release from Oregon Business & Industry. The group is a…