Davis City Council Special Meeting: Homeless Services, Encampment Response, and Camping Ordinance — November 20, 2024

On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, beginning at 6:09 p.m., the Davis City Council held a special meeting in the Community Chambers, 23 Russell Boulevard, on a single agenda item: the city's homelessness services ecosystem, resource deployment, the post-Grants Pass legal landscape, and proposed revisions to Municipal Code camping regulations. Social Services & Housing Director Dana Bailey and Police Chief Todd Henry presented the staff report, councilmembers asked questions, and the council heard extensive public comment. At the conclusion, the council unanimously directed staff to implement an Encampment Response Protocol, return with expanded service options and costing, and improve community encampment reporting; it then voted 3-2 to introduce an ordinance that would make public camping on designated public and private property a misdemeanor.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Daniel, who said he had experienced homelessness, criticized the presentation for lacking hard numbers on housing availability and for not distinguishing among different needs within the unhoused population.
• Martha Teeter, board president of DOVE and convener of the Davis Homelessness Alliance, urged humane expansion through trained community advocate navigators, youth-focused supports especially for LGBTQ youth, and regional coordination through continuums of care; she cited a Minneapolis blueprint credited with a 43% decline in youth violent crime.
• Randy McNear, executive director of the Davis Farmers Market, welcomed the discussion, said businesses want more training and tools, and noted the market has had to obtain five restraining orders.
• Doug Busby, board chair of Davis Community Meals and Housing, thanked staff and supported the proposed ordinance changes as reasonable and humane.
• Michael Shearer, a longtime resident and volunteer with three nonprofits, said many unhoused people are long-term Davis residents, opposed criminalizing camping, and urged more temporary shelter and compassionate engagement.
• Ash Dreyer, a Woodland resident, worried that a camping ban would harm vulnerable people, remove an option for escaping abusive housing, and deter bike-camp visitors; she asked for stronger outreach instead.
• Tracy Favor, executive director of Davis Community Meals and Housing, strongly supported the staff proposals, praised their compassionate approach, reported that more than 160 people used the Paul's Place resource center in one day, and noted that the city does not yet fund the full approximately $1 million annual operational cost.
• Michael Cadrick Odyssey Scalardo, who provides mutual aid, argued that tents and camping equipment are survival gear and that prohibiting them strips essential protection from people who have no other shelter.
• Gaina Lambang noted that Paul's Place and the respite center are closed on weekends, called for more funding, and urged the council to keep working toward services rather than arrests.
• Ellen Caloric, co-chair of Interfaith Housing Justice Davis speaking personally, said she was encouraged by outreach services but could not support the ordinance without assurances that evicted campers would be offered shelter and that their possessions would be protected; she also raised concerns about fines and jail.
• Heather Caswell, owner of The Wardrobe, said her life had been threatened by an unsheltered man and described the restraining order process as dysfunctional; she proposed funding the Safety Awareness Empowerment Network (SANE), a $50,000 program of business training, cameras, shared video evidence, and offender mapping, and submitted a sign-on letter from businesses.
• Lynn Yaxan, a downtown property owner and resident, praised the city's services, said there are more than 20 provider partners and five full-time city positions, supported the ordinance, and asked the council to consider SANE; she reported spending $80,000 per year on security and maintenance related to unhoused activity on her property.
• Alan Miller, a resident, cited news reports of fires at camps and described fire, theft, trash, loose dogs, drug use, and feces as public nuisances; he argued that the current approach enables some individuals and called for prioritizing public safety and cleaning the city.
• Matt Best, superintendent of Davis Joint Unified School District, thanked staff and encouraged the council to act deliberately and with speed while continuing to show humanity and compassion.
• Sarah, a former UC Davis student and current resident, said people need regular food and knowledge of services, and asked that those who need more support receive it.
• Ezra, a downtown business owner, said businesses are often left to handle people in crisis, described a security guard being beaten, and asked the council to set and enforce clear community boundaries with consequences for violence and threats.
• Brett Lee, a longtime resident, made three requests: open the respite center on weekends, add an intermediate 'gentle ask' step to move people along before enforcement, and create a no-loitering buffer around public restrooms.
• Oliver Gennata, a Davis native, argued that homelessness is a circumstance rather than a fixed category, criticized repeated cleanup costs as high as $50,000, and said criminalization and probation cycles worsen addiction and mental illness.
• Mary Ann Kirsch, a DOVE board member and St. Vincent de Paul volunteer, said callers often have nowhere to go, recounted a domestic-violence survivor who ended up under a bush near Target, and pleaded for more night shelter beds beyond the current eight and the full Forth & Hope shelter.
• Judy, a public commenter, said the proposed ordinance had been posted only the day before and compared it unfavorably to best practices; she cited a Forth & Hope staffing shortage that she estimated would reduce its capacity by about 50 beds, and argued that voting on the ordinance that night was hasty and would lead to more jail.
• Kathy Bullis, a volunteer with Davis Picks It Up, thanked city staff for trash collection and requested more trash cans and bathrooms, citing concerns about needles and children's safety.
• Edward Johnson, executive director of Grace in Action, said many unhoused clients need not only resources but also 'soft skills' and mentorship; he was uncertain about the ordinance but urged more people to walk alongside those in need.
• Shoshan Azatz of Heart of Davis said clearing encampments without providing shelter merely moves people, and urged the council to study model ordinances, safe parking, and safe camping before approving the proposal.
• Ben (recorded voicemail), a Davis resident, urged rejection of the ordinance, calling it cruel and ineffective given the lack of a year-round overnight shelter and family shelter.
• Sophia Elkehell, a Davis resident, voter, and UC Davis law student, strongly opposed the ordinance, arguing that changed Supreme Court law does not make criminalization moral and that people should be allowed to survive in public spaces until homes are provided.
• Ana Heck (recorded voicemail) opposed camping bans and sweeps, describing Los Angeles sweeps that threw away IDs, birth certificates, ashes, medications, and medical devices, making access to services harder.
• Barbara Cletter (recorded voicemail) said removing encampments without available shelter beds just forces people from one unsanctioned location to another and does not create a meaningful path out of homelessness.

Discussion Items

• Staff presentation: Bailey described the Social Services & Housing Department (created in 2022; six-person staff), the outreach team, and its citywide engagement. She highlighted 667 outreach contacts and 508 unique individuals engaged, partnerships with Downtown Streets Team, Davis Community Meals and Housing, the county, schools, and faith communities, and success stories of people moving into housing. Annual costs mentioned included roughly $1 million for Paul's Place operations and resource center, $350,000 for the Daytime Respite Center, and $450,000 for the Downtown Streets Team employment program.
• Encampment and legal context: Chief Henry described the June 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which overruled the earlier Boise v. Martin framework, and Governor Newsom's Executive Order N-1-24. Davis saw reported encampments rise from two to four per month before June 2024 to seven to eight per month after. Cleanup costs ranged from about $177 for a small camp to nearly $3,000 for large camps, and each cleanup could take from two hours to multiple days. A small cleanup requires at least two public safety or code enforcement officers at $88.60 per hour; large camps can require up to eight police employees.
• Current and proposed ordinances: The city currently has two camping ordinances covering parks and open space, but they are inconsistent and do not cover all public and private property. The proposed ordinance would repeal Sections 27.02.160 and 27.03.090 and add Article 26.11, prohibiting camping, occupying camp facilities, or using camp paraphernalia on designated public and private property. Staff said it would maintain the existing notification process except for exigent health and safety circumstances, allow enforcement of recurring conduct, and align Davis with other Yolo County jurisdictions. Violations would be misdemeanors rather than infractions; staff stated arrests would be extremely rare and were not the goal.
• Encampment Response Protocol: The proposed protocol is a three-step process: outreach and engagement first, compliance second, and enforcement as a last resort. Community members would be directed to use the My Davis app for debris or low-level concerns and 911 or non-emergency dispatch for crises or public safety emergencies. Police and outreach teams would coordinate with mobile clinicians and embedded professionals, and a postcard would explain reporting options to businesses.
• Council discussion: Councilmember Neville asked detailed questions about CARE Court, SB 43, the winter shelter, and outreach capacity, but ultimately opposed the ordinance because it would make sleeping outside a misdemeanor and lacked procedural guardrails. Councilmember Partida supported the ordinance as a 'push' to connect some individuals to treatment and CARE Court pathways, while emphasizing that homelessness is not to be criminalized and that the city must also build housing. Vice Mayor Vaitla said he trusted staff but did not trust the ordinance; he argued it would be ineffective and criminalize homelessness, and he called for more community navigators, sanctioned camping and safe parking discussions, and stronger pursuit of permanent supportive housing funding. Councilmember Arnold supported the ordinance as a measured rebalancing after the Boise decision, while calling for careful implementation, companion policy guidance, and six-month check-ins. Mayor Chapman said the increased encampment reports and concerns from businesses and service providers warranted additional tools, while emphasizing that outreach and services remain the foundation.
• Service expansion and funding: Staff said they are exploring Crisis Now mobile crisis response, transport to and from Forth & Hope, a potential fixed-route shelter shuttle, contracted encampment cleanup, expanded respite center hours, community navigator programs, and potential sanctioned camping or safe parking. Dana Bailey noted that the funding landscape is shifting, with state funds emphasizing housing construction while operating support for services is drying up.

Key Outcomes

• The council approved the agenda 5-0.
• The council voted 5-0 to direct staff to prioritize and implement the Encampment Response Protocol, return with options and costing for expanded services, and approve changes to the community encampment reporting system. Friendly amendments added community navigator development, research on Prop One permanent supportive housing funding, and examination of downtown outreach and Downtown Streets Team expansion.
• The council voted 3-2 to introduce the revised camping ordinance on first reading. Councilmembers Arnold and Partida and Mayor Chapman voted yes; Councilmember Neville and Vice Mayor Vaitla voted no. The ordinance will return for a second reading, and the vote included direction for staff to report back on enforcement data and check in with the council every six months.
• The council voted 5-0 to direct the Social Services Commission to create ad hoc committees to (1) develop a procedure for selecting members of a Homeless Strategic Plan implementation task force and (2) examine the needs and design of a community navigator program.