In response to results from a City Council committee that reviewed ways for getting the community’s homeless residents off the streets and into shelter housing, Newport Beach officials are looking at prohibiting tent encampments in public areas.
The new ordinance will be reviewed on Tuesday, July 11, for a second vote and, if approved, would go into effect 30 days later. The new law is a revision of a previous anti-camping law in the city and makes it clear to anyone in the public what is or is not acceptable in the public space, officials said.
It comes after the council in June accepted recommendations from an ad-hoc committee which was formed after several residents complained of homeless encampments and bad behavior in public facilities, especially near the Newport Beach Transit Center close to Fashion Island, on walkways and in parks in Corona del Mar and on the Balboa Peninsula.
The ordinance would prohibit people from sitting, sleeping or storing property that blocks access to businesses, schools and other facilities. It would keep people from using public restrooms as sleeping locations or a spot for personal hygiene and dish cleaning. The same goes for lawn sprinklers and other water features in parks and other public areas. It would also prohibit setting up any type of permanent structure by using tarps or sleeping bags and would ban fires in unpermitted areas.
“We were looking for a holistic approach,” said Councilwoman Robyn Grant, who, with Mayor Noah Blom and Councilwoman Lauren Kleiman, was part of the subcommittee that evaluated the city services available to people who are homeless within the city.
“We wanted to make sure the resources in our city are expanded properly and that we end up moving the needle and help homeless people find permanent housing,” Grant said. “We wanted to make sure what we’re doing is consistent with available beds, so it’s not just a revolving door with people in and out and back on the…
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