Oakland City Council Special Public Safety Committee Meeting - September 10, 2025

A special committee meeting convened to discuss the proposed 2025 Encampment Abatement Policy, which aims to repeal and replace the 2020 Encampment Management Policy. The meeting featured extensive public comment, a presentation by the policy's author, Councilmember Ken Houston, and questioning of city department heads regarding enforcement and resource implications. The committee ultimately voted to continue the item for further review and amendment.

Consent Calendar

• The committee unanimously approved the schedule of outstanding committee items.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Opponents: The majority of speakers, including unhoused individuals, service providers (e.g., Operation Dignity, East Bay Community Law Center), and advocacy groups (e.g., Anti-Police Terror Project, APEN), strongly opposed the policy. They argued it criminalizes poverty, lacks housing solutions, risks state funding, and will traumatize and displace people without providing adequate shelter or services. Many speakers shared personal experiences of homelessness.
• Supporters: A smaller number of speakers, including some business owners and residents (e.g., from the Rainbow Neighborhood Council), expressed support. They cited concerns about blocked sidewalks, trash, crime near encampments, and impacts on businesses and children's safety. They urged the council to take action to reclaim public spaces.
• Key Themes: Opposition centered on the policy's perceived cruelty, fiscal waste, and threat to Measure W and HAP 6 funding. Support focused on the need for order, public safety, and enforcement of existing laws.

Discussion Items

• Presentation by Councilmember Houston & Staff: Councilmember Houston framed the policy as a compassionate yet necessary step to address unsafe conditions, sharing personal and familial experiences with homelessness. Chief of Staff Patricia Brooks outlined the draft policy's highlights, including defining encampments (excluding single vehicles), authorizing towing under vehicle codes, establishing high/low sensitivity areas for closures, and requiring shelter offers when available. She emphasized the policy was drafted in response to the 2024 Grants Pass Supreme Court decision and aims to balance enforcement with housing-first principles.
• Questions to City Departments:
  • Oakland Department of Transportation (DOT): Director Josh Rowan clarified that DOT tows only abandoned, uninhabited vehicles and defers to OPD for occupied ones. He stated the policy provides clarity but DOT lacks resources for a significant increase in tows. He suggested identifying "pavement" (low-sensitivity areas) as transitional spaces.
  • Oakland Police Department (OPD): Chief Floyd Tedesco stated the current policy creates "ambiguity" for officers regarding vehicle enforcement. He argued the new policy provides needed clarity, allowing patrol officers to enforce vehicle codes more readily, rather than relying solely on the understaffed Encampment Management Team. He denied the policy criminalizes homelessness for simply being unhoused.
  • Office of Homelessness Solutions: Interim Chief Sasha Hauswald clarified that the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) had indicated the draft policy does not comply with state guidance, primarily due to the lack of a guaranteed shelter offer before closure. This non-compliance risks the city's share ($23M) of a $45M state HAP 6 grant. HCD makes the final award decision, guided by Cal ICH.
  • Department of Race and Equity: Director Darlene Flynn noted no race equity analysis had been completed on the draft. She highlighted the disproportionate impact on Black Oaklanders and expressed skepticism that enforcement alone, without significant new housing resources, would solve the problem.
• Councilmember Deliberation: Councilmembers raised concerns about the policy's lack of identified housing or shelter destinations, potential to worsen street homelessness, risk to funding, and insufficient resources for enforcement. Councilmember Fife (District 3) emphasized the need for real solutions and expressed frustration with the process. Councilmember Brown sought clarifications on enforcement and funding. Council President Jenkins (non-committee member) acknowledged the need for action but suggested amendments were necessary.

Key Outcomes

• The committee did not vote on the proposed Encampment Abatement Policy.
• A motion was made by Councilmember Brown, seconded by Councilmember Houston, and passed unanimously (4-0) to schedule the item to the Public Safety Committee pending list with no specific date.
• The intent is to allow councilmembers to draft and submit amendments for review by the City Attorney's office. A future special Public Safety Committee meeting will be scheduled to consider the amended policy.
• The decision effectively delays any action, pending further analysis and amendment discussions.