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Committee backs sending park-code change forward to broaden camping ban and extend sleeping hours
Summary
The Government Audits and Oversight Committee voted to send forward an ordinance amending San Francisco Park Code sections 3.12 and 3.13 to broaden the definition of illegal camping (including cooking devices, landscape modification and accumulated household/construction debris) and to extend prohibited sleeping hours from 10 PM–6 AM to 8 PM–8 AM; staff said the change will enable earlier outreach and cited enforcement and outreach numbers, while advocates warned of legal risk and harms to people experiencing homelessness.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Government Audits and Oversight Committee on Thursday recommended forwarding an ordinance that would broaden San Francisco Park Code sections 3.12 and 3.13 to more clearly define illegal camping and to expand the hours during which sleeping is prohibited from 10 p.m.–6 a.m. to 8 p.m.–8 a.m.
Chair Sean Ellsburn convened the committee and introduced the item, which the mayor’s office brought forward and the Recreation and Park Department presented. "What we have before you is a proposed amendment to two sections of the park code," said Yomi Agambiani, general manager of the Recreation and Park Department, who described new language that would prohibit structures or devices used for housing or cooking, landscape modification to create shelters, and the accumulation of household or construction debris in parks. Agambiani said the changes are intended to allow earlier intervention, reduce park damage and improve public safety.
Agambiani cited the department’s cleanup work in Golden Gate Park between July and October: "There were 2,768 encampment sites that were cleaned" and "219 tons of trash and debris" removed, he said, arguing that daytime enforcement has been limited by the code’s prior focus on large structures.
Trent Rohr, director of the Human Services Agency, told supervisors the proposed change is meant to pair outreach with enforcement. Rohr said outreach teams contacted "over three months, 876 individuals, only about 19% of whom are actually in our services now," and that approximately 171 people accepted shelter offers, 53 accepted "homeward bound" transportation and about 170 were placed in temporary beds. Rohr said fixed hours make it logistically easier for outreach and shelter-reservation staff to engage people and arrange transport and storage for belongings.
Some supervisors asked whether fixed 8 p.m.–8 a.m. hours were preferable to dusk-to-dawn rules. Agambiani and Rohr said a fixed clock time prevents a daily loophole when dusk and dawn shift, simplifies enforcement, and improves staff safety during engagement.
The City Attorney advised the committee the proposal "expands prohibitions that exist and have existed" and said the office had "approved this as to form" and is prepared to…
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