City Council Votes to Prohibit Unauthorized Camping in Irvine

The Irvine City Council has approved an ordinance to prohibit unauthorized camping on public and private land in the City, but delayed its enforcement for 120 days to allow the new Council that will take office in December to review it first.

 

In requesting the ordinance at the Council’s November 12th meeting, Irvine Police Department (IPD) Commander Dave Klug cited a rise in homeless-related calls to the IPD and in the City’s mobile crisis response team’s contacts with homeless individuals and families. Klug also noted that homeless encampments present public health problems, especially regarding sanitation, and public safety issues. He cited a recent case of an encampment starting a major fire under a freeway overpass that damaged the bridge and roadway.

 

The ordinance was drafted as part the City’s larger plan to address homelessness that also includes creation of “bridge” housing and a social services infrastructure to enable homeless individuals and families to move permanently into very-low-income affordable housing units.

 

That overall plan took a hit earlier this month, when the Council, facing a community backlash, backed out of a deal to acquire property to be used for bridge housing.

 

The new ordinance strengthens a previous ordinance prohibiting sleeping overnight in parks and other public places. The ordinance comes after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that expanded the powers of local governments in dealing with homeless persons and encampments. It includes a 24-hour notice to homeless encampments of pending removal and a provision for the City to hold any personal belongings confiscated in a removal for 90 days to allow the personal belongings to be reclaimed.

 

Councilmember Kathleen Treseder voted against the ordinance, citing the failure of the bridge housing acquisition. “I want to make sure that folks have housing they can go to if we remove them from these camps,” she said.

 

Mayor Farrah Khan acknowledged the difficulty of the issue but said, “Our goal isn’t to target our unsheltered. It is to maintain the safety of our community while providing them with the resources they need.”

 

The ordinance with the 120-day waiting period passed 4-1, with Treseder dissenting. It will come back to the Council at its next meeting for a second vote.