Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Ordinances topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Yucaipa council introduces ordinances banning public urination and limiting open fires to curb safety and wildfire risk
Summary
Council introduced two public-safety ordinances to prohibit public urination/defecation and restrict unwanted open fires, aiming to provide enforcement tools while preserving permits for recreational and religious uses.
The City Council gave initial approval to two public-safety ordinances designed to give front-line responders and code officers tools to address public health and wildfire risks.
Ordinance 4-76 would make it unlawful to urinate or defecate on public streets, sidewalks, plazas, parks and other public places except within designated restroom facilities; the measure is intended to provide deputies, park rangers, and code-enforcement officers with enforcement tools for repeated offenses in downtown and uptown areas. "The adoption of section 8.44 will make it unlawful for any person to urinate or defecate in or upon any street, sidewalk, alley, plaza, park, parking lot, public building or other public place except within designated restroom facilities," staff said.
Ordinance 4-75 would prohibit open burning in public areas, vacant lots and wildlands and align local rules with the California fire code and South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) regulations; permitted uses (propane or expressly permitted religious or special-event fires) were clarified, and fines/cost-recovery mechanisms (infractions or misdemeanors and $100–$1,000 fines) were built into the draft. The fire chief told council the ordinance provides clarity on red-flag days, no-burn days, and cost recovery for suppression and cleanup.
Both items were approved on introduction/first reading by roll-call votes. Staff will return with final readings and any technical edits required prior to adoption. Council discussion emphasized balancing enforcement tools with compassion and the need for alternatives and services for people experiencing homelessness; staff said permits for permitted recreational fires and religious uses would remain available and that discretion would apply on red-flag days.
Next steps: the ordinances were introduced and will return for subsequent readings and any technical refinements before final adoption.
