Redwood Metropolis this month grew to become the most recent Bay Space metropolis to take motion in opposition to homeless encampments, becoming a member of a rising variety of native governments responding extra aggressively to the problem amid elevated strain from the state.
In a 6-1 vote throughout its Monday assembly, the Metropolis Council accredited an ordinance prohibiting public tenting if shelter is on the market. Below the brand new guidelines, people who refuse to depart after two written warnings could possibly be charged with a misdemeanor. The legislation permits encampments to be cleared with 72 hours’ discover — or 48 hours if they’re in “sensitive areas” equivalent to close to faculties or town’s homeless shelter.
The ordinance is about to take impact 30 days after adoption.
Associated Articles
President Trump’s govt order on homelessness echoes Gov. Newsom’s a 12 months earlier than
Federal and state cuts have sophisticated how Alameda County will use Measure W funds to help security internet companies
Berkeley’s Homeless Response Crew has room for enchancment, audit finds
San Jose has simply as many homeless folks because it did two years in the past, regardless of sheltering a lot of them
In a nation rising hostile towards medicine and homelessness, Los Angeles tries leniency
The transfer carefully mirrors a countywide ban enacted final 12 months by San Mateo County, although Redwood Metropolis’s ordinance reduces the monetary penalty from the county’s $500 fantastic to $100. The town will even concentrate on providing diversion packages moderately than quick fines or jail time.
The one councilmember to vote in opposition to the ordinance was Chris Sturken, who expressed concern in regards to the coverage’s effectiveness.
“We’re not going to see the number of encampments drop overnight,” Sturken stated. “My concern is that we’re setting ourselves up for failure — overpromising and underdelivering.”
Redwood Metropolis has seen a decline in its unhoused inhabitants in recent times.
In line with a metropolis workers report, there are at present 141 unhoused people within the metropolis, down from 189 in 2024 and 205 in 2023. That determine accounts for about 15% of the county’s complete homeless inhabitants.
When requested about implementation prices, Assistant Metropolis Supervisor Patrick Heisinger instructed the council it might price wherever from $800 to greater than $20,000 per encampment cleanup, relying on measurement and site.
Extra cities throughout California have handed comparable ordinances since Gov. Gavin Newsom in Could urged native governments to take stronger motion.
Newsom launched a mannequin ordinance that cities and counties might undertake to ban public tenting and expedite the clearing of harmful encampments. Whereas not necessary, the mannequin underscored the governor’s shift towards urging native officers to behave after the state invested billions in homelessness packages in recent times.
In San Mateo County, officers stated nobody has been arrested or charged beneath the 2024 ordinance. County Government Mike Callagy, who offered the county’s progress this week, stated enforcement has prioritized voluntary compliance.
In neighboring Millbrae, officers final month handed an encampment ban permitting enforcement after a single written discover, with penalties of as much as $1,000 in fines or six months in jail. In February, Fremont enacted the Bay Space’s strictest anti-encampment legislation, with comparable penalties. A controversial provision penalizing people who “aided and abetted” encampments was eliminated a month later.
Public opinion in Redwood Metropolis on the brand new legislation stays divided.
Residents in favor of the ban cited considerations about security, trash accumulation and property crimes. Jim Crampton of the Redwood Metropolis Neighborhood Affiliation stated, “Tons of trash have grown out of homeless encampments. Current homeless encampments on the far side of Redwood Creek are along the main bike path,” which he stated made residents really feel unsafe.
However others nervous the ordinance would criminalize homelessness.
Andrea Gil of the Youth Management Institute in Redwood Metropolis stated she was “at a loss for words” over the council’s resolution.
“The way we handle encampment intervention should be through care and dignity,” Gil stated. “History has shown us that criminalization of a public health issue is never the solution — it may ripple into more trauma and distrust of the system.”
Councilmember Isabella Chu rejected that framing, saying the ordinance is aimed toward serving to — not punishing — these residing outdoor.
“It requires that housing is available. There are multiple offers of housing given, and they’re given a lot of time,” Chu stated. “There’s a lot of room and discretion to be patient with the person to ensure they’re successful in becoming sheltered.”
