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Elected officials will hold a public meeting at 4 p.m. on April 2 in San Juan Bautista’s City Council chambers to discuss the planned clearing of homeless encampments along the San Benito River, which is scheduled to begin in the third week of April.
The meeting brings together representatives from three jurisdictions: County Supervisors Dom Zanger and Ignacio Velazquez; Hollister Mayor Roxanne Stephens and Councilmember Rolan Resendiz; and San Juan Bautista Mayor Leslie Jordan and Councilmember Jacki Morris, who together make up the Intergovernmental Committee overseeing the initiative.
Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki, chair of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, first brought up the issue of clearing the river encampments last September, two months after Gov. Gavin Newsom authorized municipalities and agencies statewide to clear encampments following a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
There are between 100 and 160 camps on the riverbanks, according to San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor. In an official “point-in-time” count 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, but noted in their written report that the number of people living there was likely “significantly higher than what was counted.”
Enrique Arreola, deputy director of the San Benito County Health & Human Services Agency, told BenitoLink the county is still finishing plans for where to relocate the people who will be impacted by the clearing. Besides the county’s homeless shelter, which has around 50 beds, the county has secured hotel accommodations and is considering using five RVs available at the Migrant Center.
Kosmicki has declared that clearing the river encampments is one of the county’s top five priorities for 2025. At a March 25 meeting, supervisors approved a contract with a Bay Area general contractor to clear tents and debris. Kosmicki said signing the contract quickly was essential, warning that with fire season “around the corner,” the camps posed an urgent risk to public safety.
Beyond the safety concerns, he said ,the camps affected the county’s security, aesthetics, and quality of life, stating that “this really sets a bad tone for our community, when you drive into town and you see just garbage all over the place and you see boats and cars and these encampments.”
During the March 25 meeting, Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez, who will represent the county at the meeting, said that sweeping the camps will require coordination with the city of Hollister, as some of the sections along the river fall under the city’s jurisdiction.
“It’s critically important to have that partnership [with the city] as you start this,” Velazquez said.
The homeless encampment clearing is scheduled to begin on April 21.
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