National City will not adopt a homeless camping ban — at least for now. But it will start enforcing existing laws that prohibit lodging in parks and public streets if the public’s health and safety are at risk.
At a Tuesday City Council meeting, officials also agreed on the need to conduct a feasibility study of other alternatives for addressing the city’s growing unsheltered population, such as creating a safe sleeping zone, building tiny homes or offering mental health services with minimal entry requirements. Council members were considering a proposed ordinance modeled after San Diego’s ban that prohibited encampments on public property as long as shelter beds were available. These ordinances have been written to be in accordance with the Martin v. Boise federal ruling that makes it unlawful to prosecute people for sleeping on streets if they have nowhere else to sta