Porterville council advances tighter camping rules, asks staff to draft reunification program

At a Porterville City Council meeting, councilmembers voted to advance a draft ordinance updating the city's unauthorized camping rules and asked staff to develop a possible reunification program to help some people experiencing homelessness return to family or other support networks.

City Attorney said the draft updates reflect recent legal developments, including the U.S. Supreme Court decision referenced in the staff report, and state guidance. The changes would streamline enforcement while preserving due-process steps, the attorney said.

The draft ordinance would narrow the set of public places where camping is prohibited (including buffers around critical infrastructure, emergency shelters, schools and playgrounds) and change enforcement and property-handling procedures. Key proposed changes noted by staff include a new minimum 24-hour notice before most enforcement (replacing the current 72-hour baseline, with shorter notice allowed for exigent circumstances) and reducing the maximum short-term storage period for certain personal property from 90 days to 60 days.

The item also introduced a concept the staff described as a reunification program: voluntary assistance to help consenting people experiencing homelessness reconnect with family or other supports in locations where they could obtain stable housing. Staff cited examples from other California cities: San Diego’s family reunification work through a downtown partnership, Oceanside’s reunification assistance, Long Beach’s community donation pool for relocation support, Santa Monica’s Project Homecoming (which staff said had assisted more than 1,600 people at an average reported cost of about $214 per person), and San Jose’s Homeward Bound pilot funding transportation for consenting participants.

Council discussion focused on legal risk, available local shelter capacity and implementation. Councilman Beltran asked whether the city’s prior ordinance already permitted broader prohibitions; the City Attorney responded that jurisdictions are still navigating post‑Supreme Court litigation and that Porterville’s approach attempts a balance between place and duration to maintain more expedited time frames while addressing due-process concerns.

Vice Mayor McCurvey said the city has made progress in the past year and urged continuing the humane approach. "We really want to do the right thing, and it's a difficult issue at times," McCurvey said. Councilmembers and staff noted existing local shelter and service capacity, including a navigation center and an armory bed program, as factors that differentiate Porterville from other jurisdictions.

Resident Sherry Shields, speaking during public comment, criticized current service capacity and urged the council to direct more resources to local providers: "There is no housing for homeless," Shields said, and urged the city to coordinate with Kingsview and other local providers.

Councilmember motioned to proceed with the staff recommendations and to direct staff to return with a first-reading ordinance and a resolution that would set program parameters for any reunification effort. The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: staff will return with a formal ordinance for first reading and a draft resolution establishing program parameters and a potential funding approach if council directs moving forward.