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Dana Point council adopts traffic-code amendment intended to aid outreach to people sleeping in vehicles
Summary
After public comment and staff discussion, the council adopted the second reading of a municipal-code amendment addressing vehicles and traffic. Staff and the city’s community outreach worker said the change is intended to facilitate outreach and services for people sleeping in vehicles while balancing neighborhood impacts.
The Dana Point City Council on Oct. 7, 2025 approved the second reading and adoption of an amendment to the Dana Point Municipal Code (Title 12) addressing vehicles and traffic. City staff and outreach personnel said the ordinance is intended to help outreach teams and law enforcement engage with people sleeping in vehicles so those individuals can be offered housing and social services.
The ordinance came up after a staff report and public comment from neighborhood resident Tom Miller, who described long-term vehicle-sleeping in the Silver Strand/South PCH area and said the measure should aim to help people who are homeless while discouraging “van‑life” camping that he said has persisted.
Tamara Theodosin, the city’s community outreach worker, told council she typically does not approach vehicles alone and generally works with a public‑works partner and a deputy. “I don't approach any vehicles alone. Usually, I always have a partner with me… and then also I work with law enforcement,” Theodosin said. She said the ordinance “would be very helpful” because it could “give individuals who are sleeping in their vans maybe a little bit of a push or encouragement to… be open to receiving services.”
Theodosin described the program’s tracking and caseload at the hearing: outreach staff meet weekly to case-manage individuals and on the day of the hearing had nine people on an active list; she said that number has varied between nine and 12 and reached as high as 15 during summer months. Staff said they track outreach contacts in Salesforce and plan to run reports to document people encountered and to cross-reference who becomes a client receiving services.
Council members asked about measurement and follow-up. Staff said the city plans a “soft rollout” of outreach materials (flyers left on cars) and intends to track contacts and outcomes before issuing citations. The council then moved and approved the staff-recommended ordinance.
The change to Title 12 (vehicles and traffic) was listed on the agenda as a second reading; staff said the amendment is intended to help staff do outreach and coordinate with the sheriff’s department. A formal vote was taken and council approved the recommended action.
The ordinance text and any implementation details, including enforcement procedure and how citations (if any) will be used alongside outreach, will be published with the adopted ordinance. City staff said they will report back to council on program metrics and outcomes.
