Santa Monica outlaws blankets, pillows for people sleeping in public

Santa Monica has updated its anti-camping laws, with the City Council voting Thursday night to ban sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows for people spending the night outside.

The policy change, which passed in a narrow 4 to 3 vote, reinstates a provision that was removed from the local ordinance in 2022. It comes after a recent Supreme Court ruling that allows cities to ban unhoused people from living on the streets, even if no shelter is available.

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Some residents who spoke in favor of the change at Thursday’s council meeting said they feel uncomfortable seeing unhoused people in public.

“I live two blocks from Douglas Park, and we go there every morning with our three-year-old and two-year-old, and we consistently see individuals living in the park,” one resident said.

The councilmembers who voted against the new policy argued that it will make it even more dangerous and uncomfortable for people who live on the streets. Councilmember Lana Negrete, who supports the ban, responded, "Why would we want to promote that you should make it as comfortable as possible to be unhoused?"

Santa Monica is among at least 14 California cities that have passed new anti-camping ordinances after June’s Supreme Court decision. Gov. Gavin Newsom has threatened to withhold state funding from cities that don’t comply with his executive order to remove encampments.

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