Placer Supervisors approve camping ordinance

The Placer County Board of Supervisors approved the adoption of the camping ordinance in a unanimous vote Tuesday. The Camping and Personal Property Storage on County Property and Public Areas ordinance will regulate camping and storage on county properties where signage is posted and allows camping by necessity on non-posted county property. Under ordinance, individuals camping by necessity will be expected to assume a degree of responsibility for their behavior and the camp's condition. The ordinance also authorizes campsites to be cleaned and cleared when there are circumstances threatening health and safety, and the storage of property not retained when an encampment is removed for a maximum of 90 days. During the meeting, Placer County Management Analyst II Sarah Poindexter confirmed no changes had been made to the ordinance since its introduction at the board's March 8 meeting. There was no public comment, but the board received a written comment from Rev. Clare Novak and Laura Weeks with United for Action before the meeting. "For solutions to homelessness, we encourage you to address not only where our unhoused neighbors sleep, but where they live each day," Novak and Weeks said in their comment. "We do need no-barrier shelters. Yet we also need well-funded daytime programs that offer these community members safe spaces to eat, wash, interact, access service - and build relationships with expert case managers who can empower positive changes. This approach operates successfully every day at North Tahoe/Truckee Homeless Services' Day Respite Center in Truckee. We applaud their life-transforming work that helps campers become residents." According to the staff report, one-time costs of $150,000 are anticipated for cleaning efforts to include signage, debris removal and temporary storage. Ongoing costs for future clean-up efforts are unknown at this time. The staff report notes costs will be funded with the General Fund in lieu of The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act dollars, and other grant funding opportunities will be explored.