Vista committee backs creating homelessness advisory commission, sets annual meeting schedule

The City of Vista standing committee on homelessness voted unanimously to recommend the formation of a seven-member Homelessness Advisory Commission and a 12-meeting yearly schedule that would include five committee meetings, five commission meetings and two joint workshops.

The recommendation, approved by members present at the committee meeting, asks the full City Council to consider an ordinance to create the commission and to return to council with details about the commission’s duties, appointment process and meeting times. Staff said the ordinance would follow normal municipal procedures and that implementation, including appointments, would likely take several months because of required steps such as ordinance passage and appointment timelines.

Committee members and public providers debated whether a formal commission would increase public participation and accountability or dilute candid feedback from contracted service providers. A provider who identified themselves as a subcontractor for the Buena Creek Navigation Center urged the council to require contractor participation at these meetings, saying, “If you’re receiving this amount of money and trust from us, we need you to at least be here at these meetings to be able to talk and discuss and answer questions.”

Council members who supported a commission said the body would give staff and the council a structured venue for review and advisement on programs, contracts and long-term strategy. One committee member who introduced the recommendation said the commission could help “evaluate our spending as it is now and to provide that candid advisement that we might be missing in those internal meetings.” That member proposed the commission meet in odd months while the standing committee meets in even months at 8:30 a.m., with evening workshops twice a year.

The mayor voiced reservations about creating a commission with appointed advisers who would not be deciders, arguing that council members themselves are the decision-makers and emphasizing the importance of direct engagement with people experiencing homelessness. The mayor described encountering people in outreach and said, “I love being the mayor of Vista. I love taking the time to represent people,” and added that, in his view, “the truth is that narcotic drugs are driving homelessness as a chronic condition.”

Councilmember Corina Contreras (District 1), participating by Zoom, urged broader community engagement and noted a growing homelessness issue among seniors. “There’s a big appetite in our community to do that work,” Contreras said, while supporting more public conversation and collaboration.

Staff reported having conducted a small survey of strategic plan partners about meeting times and received only four responses; committee members said that turnout and publicity remain challenges and discussed improving the city website and meeting notices. Staff also said the city will return to the council with ordinance language and logistics for appointments if the council approves the recommendation.

The committee recorded the following operational outline for recommendation to the council: a seven-member commission, commission meetings in odd months (likely evening hours), standing committee meetings in even months at 8:30 a.m. to accommodate contractors and staff, and two evening workshops per year to allow broader public participation. The committee directed staff to research legal and procedural steps for establishing a commission and scheduling, and to return to the full council with the required ordinance and implementation timeline.

The committee meeting ended with the chair noting that, until the City Council acts on the recommendation, the committee will continue to meet under existing procedures.

The discussion included multiple references to the Brown Act and the need to follow municipal code procedures for creating a new commission. Staff said an ordinance establishing a commission would become effective following normal ordinance timelines; staff estimated several months would be required to finalize appointments and implementation.

Outlook: The committee’s recommendation will go to the full City Council for consideration. If the council directs staff to proceed, staff expects to draft ordinance language, return with details on duties and appointments, and establish a timeline for commission start-up and public outreach.