Carlsbad council adopts ordinance to give police authority to cite vehicle camping; advocates urge council to create safe parking

The Carlsbad City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance that staff and the police department said provides an additional municipal-code tool to address unlawful camping in vehicles.

Chris Durnan and Marian Vega Clancy urged the council to include a safe parking option rather than pushing people living in vehicles out of Carlsbad. Durnan, who coordinates a homeless outreach program that provides showers and services downtown, said car dwellers “follow our rules” and asked the city to partner with experienced providers and to consider a safe parking lot on city-owned property such as the old Farmers Insurance building parking lot on El Camino Real and Verde. Marian Vega Clancy, president of the League of Women Voters of North County San Diego, said the city’s enforcement of a no-camping ordinance could drive people away from services and recommended adding a safe-parking alternative so people could keep access to services while awaiting longer-term housing.

Police and city staff said the ordinance is intended to give officers an additional tool and that the department’s practice is to first attempt to connect people with services. Police Chief Christy Calderwood (invited by Councilmember Acosta during discussion) described prior outreach and said the department will offer resources before citations; citations would be considered for people who refuse services and create disorderly conditions such as leaving trash or other public-safety concerns.

Councilmember Acosta told meeting attendees that amendments could not be made at the meeting and that the ordinance before the council was the product of a prior public process; she said the city could consider a safe-parking discussion in the future. The ordinance passed on a unanimous vote.

Speakers who asked for a safe-parking allowance were directed to meet with staff after the meeting to discuss available funding and next steps.