Redondo Beach introduces ordinance to revert camping rules after Supreme Court decision, adds bus-stop restriction option

The Redondo Beach City Council voted on Tuesday to introduce an ordinance amending the municipal camping code to align with the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Grants Pass v. Johnson decision and to restore a pre-2020 approach to public-place camping prohibitions.

What changed in the law: City Attorney Joy Ford told the council that in 2020 the city amended its camping ordinance to comply with Martin v. Boise, which limited enforcement when shelter beds were unavailable. "In 2020, the city council amended our municipal code so that it was in compliance to the Martin v Boise case," Ford said. "In June of 2024, the United States Supreme Court passed the Grants Pass v. Johnson case, which overruled the Martin v Boise case." Ford's presentation advised the city that the prior enforcement limitation was no longer required by federal precedent.

Proposed municipal changes: Staff provided two draft ordinance options. One option restores the code to its pre-December 2020 language prohibiting camping in public places across the city (including near emergency shelters). A second draft adds a more specific prohibition on using a bus stop for any purpose other than boarding, waiting for or disembarking a bus; that draft includes a permissible inference intended to help enforcement teams: evidence that a person occupied the same bus site on two separate occasions within 24 hours, with the two observations more than four hours apart, could be treated as proof they remained for other purposes than waiting for a bus.

Council action: The council introduced by title an amended ordinance (ordinance number 3293-25) reverting the ordinance to pre-2020 camping language and incorporating the drafting staff's bus-stop provision as discussed. The introduction was by title only and passed on first reading as amended at the meeting (council recorded votes in favor).

Why it matters: The council's ordinance change reflects an adjustment to local rules following the Supreme Court's Grants Pass ruling and could increase the city's ability to enforce prohibitions on camping in public spaces. Staff cautioned that narrower criminal provisions can be challenged in court; Ford noted that every enforcement action carries legal risk but that Grants Pass removed the specific precedent that prompted Redondo's 2020 change.

Next steps: The ordinance advanced as an introduction for first reading; staff will return with final-language adoption options and implementation guidance. The city attorney also flagged a related area for council consideration: updating ex parte communication rules for commissions and codifying meeting conduct rules.

Ending: The council and staff agreed to bring formal codified rules and a final ordinance back to a future meeting for adoption and implementation guidance.