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Westminster officials are joining a growing list of Orange County cities laying down anti-camping laws to crack down on homeless people sleeping in city parks, streets and other city facilities.
Last month, city leaders also revisited city laws for illegal street vending – an issue that elected officials are claiming is worsening the public health of residents.
Westminster City Council members unanimously adopted an ordinance banning homeless camps and those unlawfully sleeping by sidewalks, transit stops and public spaces like parks – a move city officials claim is to improve public safety.
This comes weeks after the city of Fullerton laid down new anti-camping laws to crackdown on homeless camps.
[Read: Fullerton Lays Down New Anti-Camping Laws]
Following a Supreme Court ruling last summer that reversed a previous mandate for cities and counties to provide a certain amount of shelter before pushing out homeless camps, public officials in the county have drafted new ordinances to enforce crackdowns.
[Read: Is Orange County About To Enforce Anti-Camping Laws Again?]
“The sentiment in the community is that it’s out of control,” said Councilman Carlos Manzo at the March 26 meeting.
Most city leaders were generally in agreement with the new ordinance, but Councilwoman Amy Phan West also called for the city to crack down on people sleeping in their cars.
“People who are sleeping at the park in a tent, we have this ordinance to target them. But what about people sleeping in a car?” Phan West said.
While there is nothing under the California Vehicle Code prohibiting sleeping in a vehicle, local municipalities have the ability to draft ordinances that bans sleeping in cars.
“To be clear, there are cities that do prohibit sleeping in cars,” said City Attorney Scott Porter in response to Phan West, warning nonetheless that the city would be “taking a lot of risk as far as legal challenges.”
Ultimately, council members opted to allow sleeping in a parked car in Westminster for now.
Westminster Chief of Police Darin Lenyi said during last Tuesday’s city council meeting that under the city’s current laws, the police department can do little to deter tents popping up around the city.
“Every time you clean out an encampment, you can drive by that location a day or two later and it’s back,” he said.
At the same meeting, Lenyi said that the city’s police department has cleared out over 200 homeless encampments in 2024 – an amount that’s increased yearly.
“The accumulation of personal belongings in these areas has created hazardous conditions that impede pedestrian movement, created safety risks and contribute to sanitation concerns,” reads a city staff report.
Cracking Down on Illegal Street Vending
Over the years, multiple OC cities have drafted ordinances to crack down on street vendors operating illegally within their local jurisdictions.
[Read: Two More Orange County Cities Crack Down on Street Vendors]
Many city officials often cite that street vendors likely don’t follow state health and safety codes like other permitted businesses, highlighting concerns of blocking sidewalk access for pedestrians, improper waste disposal and greasing up sidewalks.
Currently, Westminster has an ordinance that outlines the steps necessary for a business to operate in the city. But earlier this month, some city officials said their hands are tied.
“I think what we’re struggling with now is we’re at a point where we have the vendors that just blatantly don’t want to comply,” said City Manager Christine Cordon at the March 12 meeting.
Phan West suggested that code enforcement officers ought to take photos of vendors – particularly of people’s faces – that are operating without a business license as a method for “bookkeeping.”
“Is it legal for us to take a picture of who it is? So that you can see next time who you are giving a citation to,” the councilwoman said.
Code Enforcement Manager Sergio Ferrino said that taking photos of illegal street vendors can be part of new enforcement efforts within the city.
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss.
Noriko Ostroy is an intern at Voice of OC. To reach her, email storybynori@gmail.com
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