SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Mayor Todd Gloria says starting July 30, police will ask anyone living in tents to move their encampment from certain public spaces. Hundreds are concerned about the impact of the San Diego City Council's 5-4 decision to pass the Unsafe Camping Ordinance.
City leaders are confident the implementation of the new ordinance will combat homelessness in the city. They say the city will have the resources to remove homeless encampments and to offer alternative shelter.
“We have a belief that we can open significantly more safe parking lots," said Mayor Todd Gloria. "We can modify and better use some of our existing sites to have more beds made available.”
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If there’s no shelter bed availability, encampments are only banned near parks, riverbeds, schools, transit stations, and homeless shelters. But if there are shelter beds, encampments are banned in all public spaces.
“These are grown adults. It is not too much to ask them to make accommodations for children,” Gloria said. "If there’s a shelter bed available, we expect you to please take it. And if not, we’re asking you to move.”
Sleeping bags would still be allowed from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., as long as they are not an imminent threat to public safety. One example of that would be if there are drugs in the sleeping bag or if someone is using drugs.
“Currently, they’re behaving a fool in front of these children — they’re dealing drugs in front of these children," Gloria said. "Their behavior is inappropriate and wrong.”
The mayor says enforcement is a three-step process. Police will first approach the people living in these tents and point them to the nearest shelter. In the second encounter, police will issue a misdemeanor citation. The third encounter could result in an arrest.
“Every morning the police officers will be in touch with our homeless shelter system to identify various locations and availability that exists,” said Councilmember Stephen Whitburn.
Councilmembers and homeless advocates expressed concern over the lack of available shelter. Golden Hall and an Alpha Project Shelter are closing down soon, resulting in a loss of 930 beds. But the mayor says the city will replace them all.
“It has always been our intent to replace them and to go beyond that by providing additional services," Gloria said.
They’re starting with the creation of two safe sleeping lots near Balboa Park. The city says the first one at 20th and B streets will open on July 1 and offer 136 spaces for tents. The second site at the O lot will open later in 2023 and is expected to create 400 spaces.
The city says these designated lots will include access to bathrooms, food and homeless services.
Beyond those sleeping lots, Gloria said the city's comprehensive safe shelter strategy includes adding sleep sites at warehouses and religious facilities down the line.
