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San Jose adopts municipal‑code changes and encampment "code of conduct," creates neighborhood outreach unit
Summary
San Jose — On June 10 the San Jose City Council approved a package of municipal‑code updates covering trespass, van‑lording, copper theft, vacant‑lot maintenance and other enforcement tools, and separately adopted an updated encampment 'code of conduct' creating an enhanced engagement model and a Neighborhood Quality of Life Unit.
San Jose — On June 10 the San Jose City Council approved a set of municipal code amendments and a separate updated encampment code of conduct intended to strengthen enforcement tools, clarify trespass rules and expand outreach resources for encampments.
The council voted unanimously to adopt eight municipal‑code changes (agenda item 3.11) that the administration described as "cleanups and updates" to enable enforcement in areas the city cited as chronic problems: trespass on public and private property, illegal dumping, copper wire theft, vacant lot maintenance, and rules addressing exploitative "van‑lording" (advertising or leasing vehicles as housing without appropriate oversight). The amendments also clarified the elements and duration of an "admonishment" for private‑property trespass and added language intended to help officers address situations where property owners are not physically present to provide notice.
Separately the council adopted an updated code of conduct for encampments (agenda item 3.12) by a 9–2 vote with Councilmembers Ortiz and Campos voting no. The code of conduct frames the city's approach to large encampments and establishes an "enhanced engagement" model combining outreach, offers of interim housing, and a Neighborhood Quality of Life Unit to coordinate responses and casework. Council members and staff said the policy emphasizes outreach and service offers before any enforcement action and clarified that arrest would not be for refusal of shelter alone; Chief Paul Joseph told council that arrests would be for trespass or for other criminal conduct after outreach and repeated offers of services.
Supporters, including Mayor Matt Mahan and Vice Mayor Pam Foley, said the package balances compassion and accountability, increases the chances of moving people into interim housing and restores access to public spaces that residents and businesses said have been affected by large encampments. "When shelter becomes available, choosing not to fill those spaces only sets us back," Vice Mayor Foley said, arguing that services and enforcement together reduce emergency system costs over time.
Opponents — including Councilmembers Campos and Ortiz and several advocacy groups during public comment — urged caution. Public commenters and some councilmembers argued the code of conduct could be applied unevenly, that arrests should not be the default when care or shelter capacity does not exist, and that people with addiction or trauma often decline shelter and require long relationship‑based outreach. Community organizations asked council to defer the measures until staff presented a detailed operational plan, citing concerns about discriminatory enforcement and data sharing between outreach providers and police.
City staff and the police chief responded with clarifications. Police Chief Paul Joseph said existing criminal statutes (trespass, assault, theft) are already enforceable and that the new code aims to increase engagement and formalize a clearer process before removal of encampments. City Attorney staff noted some municipal‑code edits were drafting cleanups to align language with state and federal law, and the administration said it would return to the council with performance metrics and updates to the Neighborhood Quality of Life Unit, including an intended PISFIS (Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Initiatives) periodic reporting schedule.
Votes at a glance: the municipal‑code amendments (3.11) passed unanimously; the encampment code of conduct (3.12) passed 9–2 (Ortiz and Campos opposed). Both actions included direction to staff to track implementation and to report back to council committees with metrics on outcomes and racial and geographic impacts.
Ending: Council gave staff direction to begin implementing the changes while committing to further reporting on how enforcement, outreach, and shelter offers interact. Community groups asked the council to keep working with service providers and people with lived experience to adjust implementation to avoid discriminatory outcomes.
