Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council briefed on Supreme Court Grants Pass decision and local encampment response; no ordinance vote
Summary
City attorney and police described the Supreme Court's Grants Pass ruling and its effect on anti-camping ordinances, summarized enforcement-and-outreach practices, and said the city is coordinating countywide; council received the report and expects future ordinance drafts.
City Attorney and the Port Hueneme Police Department provided an update on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass and the immediate implications for local anti-camping enforcement.
City Attorney explained that the Supreme Court (in a 6–3 opinion) overturned Ninth Circuit restrictions and said anti-camping ordinances may be enforced when they target conduct rather than the status of being homeless. The attorney noted Justice Gorsuch’s opinion and stressed that cities must distinguish between prohibited acts and a person's status. He urged coordinated countywide approaches to avoid one jurisdiction becoming a “test case.”
Officer Frome (community resources officer) outlined the city’s existing municipal code sections that define camping, described the department’s graduated enforcement model (outreach first, then citations or arrests if behavior continues), and summarized outreach programs — backpack medicine outreach, Ventura County Behavioral Health referrals, Mercy House/Salvation Army partnerships, and the county “1-stop” resource. Frome said the department’s point-in-time count earlier in the year showed 44 unhoused individuals in the city and that transient-related calls represented about 2.7% of total calls for service as of Nov. 7.
Several residents spoke during public comment about persistent panhandling, trespass and drug activity near Mandalay Village Marketplace and asked the council to strengthen enforcement and work with property managers. Councilmembers asked about how services connect individuals to housing, whether grant or city funding will be available, and the city's reliance on county resources. City staff said they will continue coordination with county partners and will bring ordinance drafts back for council consideration after countywide attorney review.
The council voted to receive the update; there was no ordinance adoption or immediate enforcement change recorded at the meeting. Staff notified the council that draft ordinance language and coordinated approaches will be brought forward for further council consideration.
