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CC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Discussion of an Anti-Camping Ordinance; (2) Direction to City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: December 21, 2022
Contact Person/Dept: Tevis Barnes, Housing and Human Services Department
Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager
Phone Number: Housing and Human Services - (310) 253-5780
City Manager’s Office - (310) 253-6000
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (12/15/2022); and Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness (12/15/2022)
Department Approval: John Nachbar, City Manager (12/15/2022)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) discuss an anti-camping ordinance; and (2) direct the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND
At the City Council meeting on December 12, 2022, Council Member Eriksson requested and obtained support from two other Council Members to agendize a discussion of an anti-camping ordinance similar to Santa Monica’s anti-camping ordinance (Attachment 1). The neighboring cities of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills also have anti-camping ordinances in their municipal codes (Attachments 2 and 3).
Also on December 12, 2022, City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency due to the homelessness crisis. The local emergency declaration is intended to expedite the procurement and contracting for materials, equipment, and services necessary to respond to the crisis, and enhance Mayor Bass’s ability to coordinate citywide and intergovernmental planning. The declaration requires regular evaluation of the City of Los Angeles’s progress in addressing the state of emergency using key performance indicators such as number and size of encampments.
DISCUSSION
Policy considerations related to an anti-camping ordinance include, but are not limited to:
1. Whether camping is prohibited city-wide on public property and in public places, which would be defined in the ordinance (similar to the City of Santa Monica, although Santa Monica also permits Council to designate specified camping areas); OR, (A) only in specific areas or types of properties; OR (B) also within a certain distance of designated sensitive uses;
2. How those areas are designated, such as in the anti-camping ordinance itself or by subsequent City Council resolution (such as in City of LA);
3. Identification of which specific areas or types of properties (such as on streets or city owned properties) on which to prohibit;
4. If Council chooses to also prohibit within a certain distance of certain sensitive uses (1B), what those uses are (parks, libraries, schools, day care centers, etc.) and what the minimum distance is (500 feet, 1000 feet).
5. Identification of the location, size and characteristic of encampments and their proximity to sensitive receptors such as the locations where sensitive groups are known to gather;
6. Determination of the City’s obligation to provide temporary shelter/housing and supportive services for any persons displaced by enforcement of an anti-camping ordinance;
7. Identification of specific places where camping may be permitted, if any, and how those areas are designated, such as by City Council vote;
8. Related legal issues.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact associated with this discussion item. Enforcement of an anti-camping ordinance would result in an operational and fiscal impact to the City that would depend on the extent of enforcement actions required. Impacted departments would include Housing and Human Services, Public Works (Environmental Services), Parks, Recreation, and Community Services, the Culver City Fire Department, the Culver City Police Department and the City Attorney’s Office. Potential costs would be for staffing, supplies, temporary shelter and/or housing, outreach and engagement, supportive services, sanitation, storage, and security. The impact and cost of enforcement may also be offset by a reduced future need for periodic encampment cleanups and emergency service response. The City may also explore financial support from other governmental entities to assist with temporary shelter and housing resources. City Staff will include additional details about potential operational requirements and costs to enforce the ordinance if City Council directs staff to return with a proposed ordinance.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Santa Monica Ordinance
2. City of Los Angeles Ordinance
3. Beverly Hills Ordinance
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Discuss an anti-camping ordinance;
2. Provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.