Homeless sweep: 23 people removed from riverbed encampments since May

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It’s been more than two months since San Benito County began removing homeless encampments from the San Benito River bed as part of its clearing efforts, citing environmental concerns.  

Among the residents who were removed from an area they considered home was Estevan Mendoza. BenitoLink has remained in contact with Mendoza, 47, who previously spoke to reporters as Steve, since the day the county began the clearing operation. 

As of July 22, Mendoza was among 23 residents who were told they could no longer live in the riverbed, Integrated Waste Management Manager Celina Stotler said. In addition to Mendoza, 11 other residents refused county services, she said. Of those who accepted services, six were placed in the H.O.M.E. Resource Center shelter, four in a hotel and one moved in with family.

Even if all the residents had accepted county services, the H.O.M.E. Resource Center has limited space as it has operated at near capacity for several years and the hotel vouchers are good for up to three nights. 

The shelter has 44 beds. It’s open 5 p.m to 8 a.m. from May to October and open 24 hours the rest of the year. The county has an additional six transitional housing units behind the shelter.

Mendoza said the belongings he took from the riverbed have since been stolen. 

“You can’t trust anybody,” he said.

Mendoza said he sleeps where he can, usually outside businesses, and that he makes sure to not leave anything behind.

“I don’t have the luxury to leave my stuff,” he said. “I have to carry everything.”

He said he stopped attempting to resettle at the riverbed because the county’s assigned deputy, who is in charge of monitoring trailers and parks, fines people and sends them to jail, which other residents also reported when they spoke to BenitoLink.

“We were a family and now we are scattered,” he said. 

Taking refuge from the July sun under trees on Fourth Street, just east of the river, four people who lived in the riverbed gathered, arriving from three separate directions. Two of them, who declined to provide their name, said they had just been released from jail. They said they were charged with trespassing in the riverbed.

A woman said she was in jail for “unas horas” (a few hours). She also claimed the sheriff’s deputy, who she did not identify, threatened to take her dog and that he took all their belongings, including food, and scattered them on the ground.

“Eso es abuso de su autoridad,” she said. (That ‘s abusing his authority.)

San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor said of the allegations, “None of that sounds like it would come from my staff.”

He said his office will make arrests for trespassing if residents return to a previously cleared area or if they don’t leave in the time allotted. 

“We have also given trespassing warnings throughout the river,” he said. “Just because we haven’t made it to a specific encampment doesn’t nullify the warning given already.”

Riverbed debris removal

Stotler said the county has removed 18.25 tons of trash and taken it to the John Smith Road Landfill, which has about 13 years worth of waste capacity left.

While the county hired Tucker, Inc. to dismantle encampments and remove trash, Stotler said that work temporarily stopped by June as the county brought in nonprofit organization Coastal Habitat Education & Environment Restoration (CHEER) in July 8 to complete phase 2 cleanup. 

“CHEER performing general solid waste abatement services is helping reduce costs for the overall cleanup,” she said.

Stotler said staff will provide the San Benito County Board of Supervisors recommendations for next steps at the Aug. 26 meeting.

The county approved a $215,000 contract with Tucker in March. Stotler said the contractor has invoiced for $133,510 so far. According to the expenditure document for the project, the county contracted CHEER for $8,333.

She said CHEER works in the riverbed three to four days a week and has removed 8.19 tons of trash. 

Stotler said Stage 2 of the cleanup effort is near completion, which includes areas between the Fourth Street and Nash Road bridges.

“Stage 2 includes the majority of encampments and illegal dumping across the five phases,” she said.

The county approved more than $350,000 for the cleanup effort, including a dedicated sheriff’s deputy to patrol the area in an effort to prevent future camps from forming. The last three phases include areas from Nash Road bridge to Blossom Lane.

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