Salinas council narrows camping rules, cuts notice period amid calls for more housing
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Summary
After hours of public comment, the Salinas City Council voted 6–1 on Feb. 3 to advance amendments restricting where people may camp on public property and to adopt related administrative cleanup procedures; the ordinances will return for a required second reading. Residents and advocates urged more shelter capacity and opposed shorter notice periods.
Salinas — The Salinas City Council on Feb. 3 moved to tighten local rules on camping and the storage of belongings on public property while directing staff to organize an intergovernmental summit on homelessness.
Assistant City Manager Lisa Murphy told the council the city has spent roughly $57.6 million in grant funding on homelessness programs and is working to convert temporary shelter opportunities into longer‑term supportive housing. Murphy framed the ordinance changes as a public‑health and safety measure: the proposals remove the previous 7 p.m.–7 a.m. exception, create a 25‑foot buffer zone around ‘critical infrastructure,’ and reduce the minimum notice for encampment removals from 72 to 48 hours to allow staff to respond faster to growing encampments.
The changes also come with revised administrative procedures drafted by the Salinas Outreach and Response Team (SORT) that spell out coordinated outreach, hazard handling, storage options and retrieval processes for residents’ belongings. Murphy said SORT will offer storage bins, tag items for retrieval and keep records to help case managers remind tenants to collect possessions.
Residents and advocates packed the public comment period, with testimony sharply divided. Medical and homelessness advocates warned that shortening notice periods increases displacement harms and can disrupt continuity of care — a concern voiced by Dr. Silva, who cited studies linking forcible displacement to higher emergency‑room use and mortality. Longtime advocates argued that without additional shelter capacity or sanctioned sites, enforcement will simply move people from place to place.
“Where are they supposed to go?” asked Tim Heaven, a homeless‑services leader who spoke from lived experience. “Belongings are taken, people are released days later, and they are back outside with fewer possessions and more trauma.”
Business and neighborhood speakers said unmanaged encampments raise public‑safety and sanitation concerns in parks and commercial corridors. Amy Salmina, a property manager, urged the council to adopt consistent administrative procedures to protect safety and keep public spaces usable.
Councilmembers debated the balance between immediate public‑safety concerns and the need for broader shelter and housing strategies. Several members asked staff for more hard data on encampment removals, calls for service and the cost of cleanups. Councilmember Sandoval was the lone ‘No’ on the motions; the ordinances advanced 6–1 and will return for a second reading. The council separately approved the revised administrative procedures by the same margin.
As part of the vote, the council directed staff to coordinate an intergovernmental summit to explore temporary placements, sanctioned encampments and other housing strategies and to include people with lived experience in planning.
What’s next: The ordinances will return for a required second reading at a future meeting; the administrative procedures take effect as adopted. Staff will prepare data requested by council members and will schedule the summit as directed.
