The Santa Monica City Council is scheduled to consider an amendment to its anti-camping ordinance Tuesday night that would remove a section that allows homeless people to use pillows and blankets while sleeping on public property.
The existing ordinance bans tents and temporary shelters in public areas, but allows homeless people to sleep using blankets and pillows under certain circumstances.
The proposed amendments would continue the existing distinction between camping on public property, which is prohibited, and sleeping on public property, which is not prohibited. To help define and identify people camping illegally, the proposed amendments would add sleeping bags and bedrolls to the list of items prohibited in public areas.
But the most controversial proposed change would eliminate a small section of the ordinance that allows homeless people to use pillows, blankets and bedding while sleeping on public property, an exemption that was added in 2022 to comply with an appeals court ruling.
City officials say that despite the proposed changes, they are not considering a ban on sleeping in public spaces, nor will they ban the use of blankets. They say these changes are simply meant to clarify what constitutes “camping.”
Mayor Phil Brock did not respond to requests for comment. But in an interview KTLABrock said the changes are an effort to clean up the streets.
“It’s not a heavy-handed thing — not a burdensome thing,” he told the station. “But I think if you’ve offered help to someone four, five, six times and he doesn’t get off the street, then we have to somehow get him off the street, get him into treatment, get him into rehab.”
Santa Monica Councilman Jesse Zwick said while he understands the need to regulate public spaces and encourage homeless people to go indoors, he doesn’t think the proposed change is an effective approach.
“I think it’s kind of a fantasy for legislators to believe that if you write something down as illegal it will go away,” he said.
Zwick hopes the city spends its energy on increasing the supply of affordable housing and permanent supportive housing. He said it would be cruel and reprehensible not to do so as the council considers the proposed changes.
Although city staff has recommended that the council approve the amendments, it also gives city leaders two other options: take no action, or wait to see what other cities do to address the problem of homeless encampments.
The amendments were scheduled to be discussed at the previous council meeting on Aug. 27, but the discussion was postponed. That meeting was attended by dozens of residents who wanted to voice their opinions on the anti-camping ordinance, while others came to speak out against the proposed permanent supportive housing project.
Homelessness is nothing new in Santa Monica. People have long been drawn to this popular seaside town, but a series of violent crimes in the city have exacerbated the problem. Pleasure trip and beaches where tourists congregate have raised concerns about public safety and expressed frustration with the city’s handling of the homeless crisis.
Last summer, a man who appeared to be homeless attacked Brock was attacked on the Third Street Promenade. Brock was a council member at the time of the attack. In May last year, a homeless man attacked him Three people attacked on the same roadAt least two German tourists were attacked with a knife. The following month, Santa Monica police arrested a homeless man who had stabbed them Three people were attacked An elderly woman and a 17-year-old girl were also on the beach.
According to the city’s most recent homeless count, an estimated 774 people are currently homeless in Santa Monica, down 6% from the 826 in 2023. At least 62% of homeless people live outdoors.
Officials say the city has been able to enforce its anti-camping laws in part because of programs that help people avoid homelessness, such as STEP Court, which allows people to clear misdemeanor records by receiving housing assistance and mental health and substance abuse treatment. The city also partnered with Los Angeles County to launch the Therapeutic Van Transport Team, which works closely with first responders to provide assistance to people experiencing behavioral health crises.
The city said it also has shelters ready to move people indoors, though the city is still about 100 beds short of the number needed to fully accommodate homeless people.
The proposed change to the city’s anti-camping ordinance is inspired by a July City Council meeting in which Mayor Pro Tem Lana Negrete and Council Member Oscar De La Torre asked city staff to “evaluate and provide options for amending the city’s municipal code” in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Nagrete and de la Torre did not respond to requests for comment.
In June, the country’s High Court overturned a decision. 9th Circuit Appeals Court Ordinances banning camping and sleeping in public places in Grants Pass, Oregon, violate the 8th Amendment because they constitute cruel and unusual punishment for people who have no other place to go. Supreme Court decision Cities and counties were given the freedom to ban people from sleeping or camping on public property, even if there was no shelter available.
Shortly after that decision, Governor Gavin Newsom directed state agencies to remove homeless camps from state land and urged cities and counties to do the same. Newsom also threatened to withhold money from cities and counties that did not make progress in removing homeless camps.
Soon after, city officials in Long Beach began cracking down on homeless encampments they deemed problematic, issuing notices to anyone violating the city’s anti-camping ordinance.
Long Beach officials said charges and arrests would only be used after outreach teams have exhausted all efforts to encourage people to go indoors.
Santa Monica City Council meeting about to begin 5:30 PM Tuesday
