The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors unanimously approve a significant amendment to their homeless enforcement laws.
The amendment broadens the homeless enforcement across the county by tightening restrictions around when and where an individual may sleep outside of a designated county residence. This ordinance was initially presented to the public during the Board’s Sept. 10 meeting.
County homeless residents can no longer sleep in a location for more than an hour or within 300 feet of their previous resting place in a 24-hour period. In addition, sleeping in cars is now prohibited due to health reasons. Camping will be allowed in designated county parks, though it was not immediately clear which parks will allow camping.
Many members of the community indicated during public comment they weren’t entirely on board with the new restrictions, citing the bluntness of the amendment and noting that the ordinance would only further exacerbate homelessness issues in San Joaquin County.
County resident Danna Butner said the ordinance further punishes individuals who are already at a disadvantage by increasing the risk of fines and subsequent arrest for repeat violations.
“There are long-term consequences for everything we do. It behooves all of us to consider those long-term consequences,” Butner said. “Kicking the people that are already down does not seem like a valid solution to me.”
Sharing similar concerns, Patrica Barret underscored the importance of establishing a social safety net that includes housing if the city of Stockton or the county ever hopes of addressing homeless recidivism. Barret says that housing for the homeless should not be centralized in just Stockton but instead across the county.
“We need to promote housing. We need to have housing in this county and we have to have it all over the county and not just in Stockton,” Barret said.
To be compliant with the new ordinance, homeless individuals will need to walk about 1.3 miles over the course of a day if they are required to move every hour and not be within 300 feet of a previous resting place. Violations will result in either a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail or both.
This is the first expansion of homeless enforcement law that has successfully passed at the county level since the Grants Pass U.S Supreme Court decision permitting cities to levy fines and enforce bans of homeless encampment.
Cities across California were encouraged to move forward in removing homeless encampments after California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to begin taking steps to clamp down on homeless encampments.
Stockton is also considering an ordinance that would broaden the city’s ability to remove homeless residents from critical infrastructure areas. Stockton Assistant City Attorney Taryn Jones said expanding enforcement could lead to court challenges for the city.
As of time of reporting, the Stockton City Council has yet to agendize an ordinance that expands homeless encampment enforcement.