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Ukiah introduces revised camping ordinance aligned with state guidance; debate centers on shelter‑availability requirement
Summary
Council introduced by title a revised camping ordinance that removes the requirement that enforcement depend on availability of shelter space, while adding a requirement that officers make reasonable efforts to identify and offer shelter and services; the change drew strong public comment both for and against and passed introduction on a 5‑0 roll‑s
The Ukiah City Council introduced by title only an amendment to the city’s camping ordinance designed to reflect recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the governor’s model ordinance. Assistant City Attorney Darcy Vaughn said the draft reverts most text to the city’s 2005 camping prohibition while removing the prior 2019 requirement that enforcement depend on available shelter space and voluntary refusal to accept shelter.
Vaughn said the revised ordinance requires that any official delegated to enforce the ordinance make “every reasonable effort” to identify and offer emergency shelter, a navigation center or other appropriate housing and to offer supportive services before enforcement. She framed the change as a tool of last resort and said state guidance and an executive order tie certain funding opportunities to adoption of model ordinance language.
The proposal sparked prolonged public comment: opponents described the change as criminalizing homelessness and warned that removing the shelter‑availability prerequisite will result in citations and warrants for people without a place to stay. Jordan Nagla, a resident, said removing the requirement is “evil” and argued it will lead to arrest warrants for people who cannot easily attend court. Supporters and several councilmembers emphasized the city’s existing outreach partnerships with county social services, the mobile crisis team and local nonprofits, and said enforcement would be used sparingly when outreach and offers of services fail.
Chief Corning and other staff described an operational protocol for coordinated outreach with county partners, including a single point of contact and regular contact with the county’s navigation and outreach team. Vaughn noted the ordinance includes an enforcement‑policy requirement that the Ukiah Police Department adopt procedures to prevent arbitrary or discriminatory enforcement and to preserve constitutional protections.
After discussion about safeguards and the importance of outreach and service partnerships, the council voted to introduce the ordinance by title only. Councilmembers emphasized they expect enforcement to remain a last‑resort option and asked staff to codify internal policies and reporting safeguards to prevent arbitrary application.
