San Diego Camping Ban Set to Take Effect, but Details Remain Murky

A San Diego ordinance “which bars camping in all public spaces when shelter is available – and in certain locations such as some yet-to-be specified parks and near schools even when it’s not – is officially set to take effect July 29.” But according to Lisa Halverstadt, writing in Voice of San Diego, “The city’s got a lot to do before it can start clearing homeless encampments.”

For one, the city must still identify which city parks will be covered by the ordinance and which school areas to prioritize, as well as provide notice to unhoused residents. According to Halverstadt, “That’s just a sample of the city’s to-do list, but there’s a whole lot more.”

Halverstadt explains, “The ordinance bars camping within two blocks of shelters and more than 850 of the city shelter beds that unhoused people vie for daily are now clustered in the East Village and Barrio Logan neighborhoods. Other services are concentrated there too, a dynamic that has for years spurred homeless people to settle in those areas.” Mayor Todd Gloria’s office has not issued a list of parks or schools that would be covered by the ordinance. According to one unsheltered resident, “police and outreach workers have yet to offer specifics that might help unsheltered residents plan their next moves.”