Two South Bay cities considering bans on homeless encampments

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Two South Bay cities will be voting on Tuesday to consider adopting laws banning homeless encampments in certain areas.

The discussion on proposed encampment bans in Chula Vista and National City come six months after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned legal protections for unhoused people sleeping in public when shelter is inaccessible and they have nowhere else to go.

Both ordinances, which bear similarities to the “unsafe camping ordinance” passed by San Diego city leaders last year, would bar unhoused people from bedding down in public right of ways, near schools or city parks, along transit stops and nature preserves, or outside city shelters.

In the six months since the high court’s ruling in Grants Pass v. Gloria Johnson, et al. , momentum has surged for cities across the county looking to pursue more punitive approaches to address one of the most visible aspects of the homelessness crisis.

Five cities in the region have either enacted an encampment ban or are exploring such a measure, arguing the laws are a critical tool to address health and safety issues tied to these sites while upping pressure on unsheltered people to accept offers for help.

“We’re routinely having to remove mattresses, shopping carts, other large debris from our storm drain culverts,” Stephen Manganiello, National City director of public works, said in a hearing earlier this month. “Our crews often encounter hypodermic needles and other biohazardous waste. I have a big concern, very worried for our workers, I’m worried for the public.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom has propelled some of this movement towards clearing encampments with the Supreme Court’s go ahead, last month vowing to cut off state homelessness funding to municipalities he views as not doing enough to clear these sites.

Prior to the Grants Pass decision, local governments in the western U.S. were largely prevented from enforcing measures regulating encampments when there is not adequate, accessible shelter available.

However, homeless advocates have pushed back against these laws, arguing that outright bans on encampments are an ineffective solution as most of the cities in the county do not yet have enough shelter beds or long-term housing to meet the need.

Without such resources, advocates contend laws regulating encampments simply push around or criminalize vulnerable people who have no other options, ultimately making it harder for them to exit homelessness.

In a staff report , Chula Vista acknowledged this shortfall: While the city has made efforts to expand its short-term emergency housing portfolio, the vast majority of its long-term options to move people out of these shelter environments are not anticipated to come online for years.

The last point-in-time count conducted by the city of Chula Vista in August estimated about 449 people were living on the streets, down 14% from last year’s total of 510.

Meanwhile, the city has 120 emergency shelter beds, 102 transitional housing units, 30 permanent supportive housing units and 112 rapid-rehousing units. The city says an additional 132 permanent supportive housing units are in the pipeline, which are set to open in 2026.

National City, which previously strayed away from an encampment ban in favor of an outreach-oriented approach, similarly addressed these impacts flagged by homeless advocates.

The city has seen an influx of unhoused people moving from the city of San Diego since its encampment ban went into effect. According to a staff report , about 174 unsheltered people were counted in National City this year, up 9.7% from 2023.

National City’s vote on the encampment ban during its 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday will be the second vote on the proposed law, while the Chula Vista City Council will be considering a camping ordinance for the first time in its 5 p.m. meeting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.