San Rafael council introduces park-wide ban on camping after six-month review, 3-1

San Rafael — Following a six-month evaluation of the city's camping ordinance and an update on the sanctioned camping area, the City Council on April 7 introduced (by title) an ordinance to prohibit camping in all city parks and waived further reading; the motion passed 3-1.

City staff framed the recommendation around two sets of facts: (1) operational data from the six-month review and (2) wildfire hazard considerations. Staff reported a 38% increase in public calls for service related to camping since the ordinance's implementation, a near 18% drop in campsite warning reports, and that "as of April 4" there were no individuals camping in city parks. Staff also reported the sanctioned camping area has operated at full capacity (50 participants) since October 2024 and has produced…