Chula Vista is set to restrict homeless encampments, a decision that could dramatically expand the areas in San Diego County where it’s illegal for people to sleep and camp outside.
The proposed ordinance would limit lying on sidewalks and in other public areas in the county’s second-largest city, and would ban camping around schools, parks, transit areas and shelters entirely. On Tuesday, the City Council voted to move it forward, with a final vote scheduled for the coming weeks.
“Without these ordinances, without the support of the city and us up here, I just don’t think that our team has the right tools to be able to do their job,” said Councilmember Rachel Morineau.
The council’s unanimous vote comes despite the fact that homelessness is down in Chula Vista this year, according to city officials. In August, a city-led census counted 449 people living on the street or in vehicles, down from 510 people last year.
On Tuesday, advocates for unhoused people warned that the ordinance would do little to prevent more residents from falling into homelessness. They urged the council to reconsider the ban or postpone the decision until after the November elections.
“It’s been proven time and time again that criminalizing the unhoused does nothing to stop the actual problem,” said Sebastian Martinez, deputy executive director for Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance.
A ban would mean Chula Vista joins the growing number of cities cracking down on homelessness in the wake of a major Supreme Court decision this past July.
That ruling gave cities broad power to fine or arrest people for sleeping in public and has opened the door for more local governments to restrict homelessness, including Escondido, Poway and Vista.
On Tuesday, National City also approved a ban of its own.
These crackdowns run contrary to the recommendations of researchers who study homelessness. Many argue that a law enforcement approach can reduce trust in city services and make it harder for people to actually leave homelessness behind.
Chula Vista’s proposed restrictions aren’t as far-reaching as those in other cities.
Rather than ban lying on all sidewalks like the city of San Diego’s ordinance does, Chula Vista’s law would only restrict encampments that block access for people with disabilities, obstruct city events, or are in the way of cars or bicycles in most areas.
Schools, parks, transit stations and shelters would have more restrictions though. The ordinance would make it illegal to set up any kind of tent or sleeping bag within 1,000 feet of those facilities.
Residents who spoke at this week’s city council meeting were largely divided on the proposed ordinance. A number of business owners came to urge the city council to move it forward.
“We have faced situations that put both of our personal safety and financial wellbeing at risk,” said Roberto Ramirez, who manages Strong Base Jiu Jitsu in southwest Chula Vista.
Others argued the city should take a more compassionate approach.
“The issue of homelessness in our community is not a ‘us and them’ problem,” wrote Liz Wilson Manahan, a pastor at Chula Vista Presbyterian Church, in a letter to the City Council. “It is a human problem, where all people should have a safe place to lay their heads.”
Late in the evening, Tony Saldaña Jr. stood up and walked to the podium. A longtime Chula Vista resident, Saldaña said he lost his housing six years ago because his then-landlord wasn’t paying for the proper permits. Now, he lives in an RV near the waterfront.
He wasn’t there to condemn or support the ordinance. He was just there to share his experience and ask city officials for support.
“I’m ready for the help if I can get the help,” Saldaña said, his voice breaking.
