Santa Maria updates encampment response; staff to compile full cost and seek MOUs with counties

City staff updated the Santa Maria City Council on Monday about ongoing efforts to address encampments and hygiene and safety problems tied to riverbed and street camping, and the council asked staff to compile a full accounting of city costs and a written plan.

Assistant City Manager Mr. Wu said the city has provided quarterly updates since 2024 and noted the large riverbed cleanup done last summer and fall in coordination with Santa Barbara County and partner agencies. He said some people have since returned to the riverbed and others moved into city neighborhoods, and that staff continue to offer resources alongside enforcement.

The update emphasized continuing outreach and an effort to develop a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County for ongoing monitoring and access to riverbed areas. "We should have something before the decision makers within the next couple months," Mr. Wu said.

Senior Park Services Officer Ruben Ramirez described frontline field work: "When we first contact these individuals, we are always offering resources ... and then at that point, if they're still not receptive to services, that's when we take law enforcement action. Last week, we were in the railroad track area. We did arrest about 11 subjects for various charges, drug related charges, trespassing charges," Ramirez said. He added that the city conducts weekly cleanups under a contract with a local vendor and continues enforcement throughout the city.

Sergeant Felix Diaz said the Police Department and city rangers provide recurring enforcement and outreach. He said the department has three outreach coordinators who handle cleanups and that patrol or coordinators respond to quality-of-life complaints depending on time of day. "I don't have exact money figure amounts for you, but that's kind of the resources we have," Diaz said in response to a council question about total spending.

Ranger supervisors reported that ranger patrols go out five days a week, two hours a day, and that jurisdictional boundaries complicate work in the riverbed: some camps lie in state (CHP) or county areas and other access points were washed out by rain, limiting heavy-equipment access. They estimated about 20 camps in unincorporated areas east of the city and said rangers are pulled roughly three to four hours from a typical patrol day to respond to homelessness-related tasks. The rangers said they track man-hours, debris delivered to the landfill and fuel and equipment use for cleanup work.

Council members pressed staff for a clearer, written description of ongoing and planned actions and for a full cost accounting. Council Member Escobedo requested a quarter-by-quarter cost summary that includes both direct (contracts, landfill fees) and indirect (police, rangers, code enforcement) costs. Mr. Wu agreed to begin compiling that information immediately and to provide figures to council; at one point he said a rough multi-year figure previously discussed was about $200,000 but noted that did not include costs borne by other departments.

Council members also asked staff to continue pursuing written MOUs with neighboring jurisdictions and state agencies (including CHP and Caltrans where relevant) to clarify patrol and cleanup authority in riverbed areas. Mr. Wu said those agreements are part of the staff work plan and are under development.

The presentation closed with staff and several council members stressing the dual nature of the city response: enforcement to address public-safety and sanitation problems, and coordinated services with county and nonprofit partners to offer housing, mental-health and other supports. Council members asked staff to return with a written plan and a financial summary to help identify service gaps and possible additional investments.

Ending: The council did not take a formal vote on next steps at the meeting but directed staff to provide a written cost accounting and to continue negotiating interjurisdictional agreements; staff said they would return with the requested materials in an upcoming report.