Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Eight months after Gov. Gavin Newsom authorized state agencies to clear homeless encampments, San Benito County is moving forward with a sweep of the camps along the San Benito River west of Hollister. At its March 25 meeting, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $215,000 contract with a Bay Area general contractor to dismantle any existing structures and remove trash and debris during the third week of April.
There are between 100 and 160 camps on the riverbanks, according to San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor. On Nov. 19, deputies from the Sheriff’s Office found 38 people and 21 dogs and cats along the river between Fourth Street and Hospital Road. The Sheriff’s Office said in the census that “many of the campsites were found unoccupied, but were padlocked and appeared to be lived in. The number of homeless people living in the riverbed is likely significantly higher than what was counted.”
Everyone living in the area is expected to be gone once the encampment cleanup, as the county has labeled it, is completed. The contractor, Tucker Construction, will begin at the Fourth Street Bridge and move upstream until the budget is spent.
Integrated Waste Management Manager Celina Stotler said the contract won’t cover sweeping the entire river, but that this was a “pilot” to kickstart a “new policy.”
“Staff, health and human services, behavioral health, the sheriff’s department, code enforcement—everyone’s going to need to be trained on the tools we’re using and the process following the encampment cleanup policy,” Stotler said. “So we’re going to test this out within a phased approach and see how far along we can get with the funds that have been allocated.”
San Benito County is not alone in this. Jurisdictions across the state are adopting similar policies after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Martin v. Boise, a 2009 ruling that prevented cities and counties from punishing and displacing people sleeping on public property without providing adequate alternatives.
The county’s new encampment policy includes more than just the contract with Tucker Construction. The county has also hired a Sheriff’s deputy to patrol the river and prevent future encampments. The supervisors also approved $7,000 for storage fees to hold belongings recovered from the river.
Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez said that sweeping the camps along the river wouldn’t be possible without collaborating with the city of Hollister, as some sections fall under its jurisdiction.
“It’s critically important to have that partnership [with the city] as you start this,” Velazquez said, “because you will have that problem instantly, and then we’re going to all be very frustrated going in this circle.”
Stotler said the county is in talks with the city, and that the contract would only cover the county’s part, as Hollister uses its own staff for clearing encampments. She said clearing the entire river could take up to six months.
Supervisors Dom Zanger and Kollin Kosmicki backed the county’s proposal, even though full coordination with the city has not yet been finalized.
“It has been nine months since the overturning of Martin v. Boise, and there’s still a lot of trash down there,” Zanger said. “I understand we want to do this right and I also understand we’re probably never going to do things perfectly. I don’t want perfect to be the enemy of good here. I want to actually get something done as soon as we can.”
Kosmicki pointed out the environmental and safety hazards of leaving the encampments. “The longer we wait on this and deliberate over the details, the longer that we put our citizens at further risk of fire and criminal activity and injuries and death,” he said. “We need to get this thing cleaned up like now.”
The clearing is expected to begin the week of April 21. Stotler said the county will present an update to the Board of Supervisors in May on how much of the $215,000 has been spent, whether additional funding will be needed, and the status of the collaboration with Hollister.
Supervisor Angela Curro called the encampment clearing policy “a long-term investment into our community.”
“I am very supportive of starting this, but understanding with our eyes wide open that this is just the tip of what it’s going to cost to clean up the entire encampments,” she said. “I’m totally open to this, keeping the humanitarian point in consideration.”
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.
You must be logged in to post a comment.