AUBURN, Calif. — The Placer County Board of Supervisors tabled a vote Tuesday on a proposed camping ordinance. The ordinance, as it currently stands, would make it illegal for anyone to camp on public property during the daytime hours, aside from adverse weather conditions.
The ordinance reads:
“No person shall erect, configure, or construct any camp facilities in any public area from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
All camping facilities and paraphernalia must be taken down and removed between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
No camping facilities or paraphernalia may be stored on county public property during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.”
The exceptions are:
“Rules may not be enforced during rainfall, sleet, snow, or other adverse weather conditions as determined by the enforcement officer."
For almost two years, much of Auburn’s homeless population has been relocated off of Richardson Drive and Bell Road, on public land, sandwiched between government buildings. That’s where Kristiana Morris who is unhoused is currently living. She said the proposed camping ordinance felt familiar.
“That’s kind of how it started was we were allowed to lay our head at night, but in the morning we had to pack up all of our stuff and we couldn’t store things here and then it went from that to what we have going on now,” explained Morris.
She doesn’t think the proposed camping ordinance is the answer.
“It’s definitely not a solution," she said. "They’re just trying to figure out what to do with us. And in the meantime, this is where we’re at.”
Civil rights Attorney Mark Merin also gave his opinion on Placer County’s proposed camping ordinance.
“I don’t think it complies with Martin vs. Boise at all.”
Martin vs. Boise is the 2018 9th Circuit Court of appeals ruling which has allowed many unhoused people to remain on public property.
“Martin vs. Boise says it is cruel and unusual punishment to take somebody who’s living outdoors, by necessity because there’s no shelter available, and to say to that person, ‘We’re going to arrest you,’” Merin said.
Merin says it’s not just Placer County that is trying to figure it out.
“We who are trying to deal with the realities of homeless people in our community keep saying, ‘We need to reallocate resources and deal with the underlying problems'. And that just hasn’t been what the public entities are prepared to do, yet,” he said.
Merin hopes Placer County reconsiders the ordinance.
“I would hope that Placer County would be better advised and decide to scrap this ordinance. Instead take the energy and the money and the resources and deal with increasing available shelter.”
The issue will be readdressed by the Placer County Board of Supervisors Feb. 8.
