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Council pledges tougher enforcement after parks vandalism and unhoused encampment cleanup
Summary
Council members and staff described recent vandalism in parks and cleanup of an unhoused encampment at a vacant restaurant; the mayor signaled tougher enforcement and staff described ongoing monitoring and repairs.
Pam Hickey (S3) opened the parks report by expressing alarm about vandalism and encampments: "I'm just really sorry for all that's going on in these parks. It's just sickening and saddening," she said. Council members and staff described repeated reports of torn-up bathrooms and other damage; public works reported daily incident notifications and said crews have been working to secure damaged facilities.
The mayor indicated the council will pursue stronger enforcement, telling staff and police to step up action around closing times and to cite people who remain after being asked to leave: "You got 15 minutes to vacate. If you don't, you will be sighted," the mayor said. Public works staff also reported a recent cleanup of a vacant restaurant property where crews secured doors, changed locks and coordinated with the property owner; council thanked staff and police for the response. The transcript records that the council plans to consider ordinance changes next week to provide additional enforcement "teeth."
