Does the City remove homeless encampments?

Does the City remove homeless encampments?

January 7, 2025

Yes, the City removes homeless encampments from public property. Prior to removing an encampment, the City is legally required to provide notice (generally 72 hours before removing property). The City is legally required to store the materials it removes from the site so that homeless individuals can retrieve their belongings. We have conducted homeless “sweeps” of the Laguna area and will continue to do so. We conducted one “sweep” in the past 6 months which occurred in October 2024. These operations and the planning and coordination that go along with them are labor intensive and require bringing in officers on overtime, tying up public works staff from their normal duties for most of a work day, coordinating with the homeless outreach coordinator to be present with us during the advance notice and on the day of the operation and require bringing in heavy equipment to haul out the debris left behind.