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Council introduces anti-camping ordinance, adds misdemeanor option and directs proposal for diversion program
Summary
After reviewing federal court guidance, Hermosa Beach introduced a citywide ordinance banning camping in public places, expanded the enforcement penalty to include misdemeanors and directed staff to draft a diversion option to pair enforcement with voluntary services.
Hermosa Beach’s City Council on Feb. 25 introduced an ordinance that would prohibit camping in specified public places citywide, aligning local rules with recent U.S. Supreme Court guidance on enforcement of public camping provisions.
City Attorney staff reviewed relevant case law and concluded that the Supreme Court’s recent decision (addressing a Ninth Circuit test) allows jurisdictions more latitude to enforce public-camping restrictions than under earlier precedent. The proposed ordinance creates a dedicated chapter of the municipal code defining “camping,” “prohibited public places,” prohibited vehicle habitation, open fires in public places, and storage of property when it obstructs public access.
Under the introduced chapter, violations would be subject to the city’s administrative citation process; during debate council unanimously added an option to allow misdemeanor charges (instead of administrative citations) in some circumstances. Council also directed the city attorney and staff to prepare a diversion program so that citations or misdemeanor charges could be resolved if an individual accepts outreach, housing offers, or services — a move council members described as pairing enforcement with care‑first options.
In the public hearing, commenters urged stronger outreach and use of existing programs (the city’s HB Cares mobile response, housing navigators and the mental evaluation team) rather than punitive approaches; others said stronger enforcement is needed to protect public health and safety. Council members said the ordinance is one tool among many and directed staff to return with the diversion framework and operational guidance for how field staff and police will use the ordinance in practice.
Outcome: Council introduced the ordinance and approved adding misdemeanor enforcement as an option; staff was directed to draft a diversion program and return with a final ordinance and implementation details.
