Residents of a San Diego suburb known for its seclusion from the busy downtown area and beach views are outraged as a group of drifters have taken to living in their cars and RVs on the neighborhood’s streets.
San Diego County has one of the largest segments of California’s homeless population, at more than 10,000.
Locals in Pacific Beach say the vagrants have moved from the center of town to their neighborhood and are openly defying laws that prohibit them from camping in their vehicles.
The homeless are accused of not only camping, but also taking drugs and leaving their trash on the street, ironically right next to signs telling them not to park there.
Debbie Turnbull, who lives in the area, claims it’s a problem of the city trying to move homeless people out of the downtown area.
Residents of a San Diego suburb known for its seclusion from the busy downtown area and beach views are angry as a group of vagrants have taken to living in their cars and RVs on the neighborhood’s streets
“It’s not as family-friendly anymore,” Turnbull said NBC San Diego about the chic neighborhood, which she calls “a soft place to land.”
She added that these people not only camp during the day, but also stay overnight.
‘We don’t like walking our dogs or animals at night because you don’t feel safe. You don’t know what’s going on there,” Turnbull said.
The protesters cite an unenforced law that bans people from living in their vehicles on the street or on public property between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time.
The law, known as the Vehicle Habitation Ordinance, also bans them from being within 150 meters of a home or school at any time.
The city, residents say, simply doesn’t enforce the law, giving those parked a chance to leave before they get a ticket.
A spokesperson for the city’s Democratic mayor, Todd Gloria, says they are looking for a permanent solution that will allow for what they call “safe parking” while protecting locals.
‘The city is actively working to create more Safe Parking Options. In addition to allowing people to park overnight and sleep in their cars without the risk of being cited, Safe Parking provides access to services and case management to help them work toward permanent housing,” Rachel Laing said in a statement.
Debbie Turnbull, who lives in the area, claims it’s a problem of the city trying to move homeless people out of the downtown area
Locals in Pacific Beach say the vagrants have moved from the center of town to their neighborhood and are openly defying laws that prohibit them from camping in their vehicles
The protesters cite an unenforced law that bans people from living in their vehicles on the street or on public property between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time.
The homeless are accused of not only camping, but also bringing in drugs and leaving their trash on the street, ironically right next to signs telling them not to park there.
The city, residents say, is simply not enforcing the law, giving those parked the chance to leave before getting a ticket
The law, known as the Vehicle Habitation Ordinance, also bans them from being within 150 meters of a home or school at any time.
According to recent tablesSan Diego County is home to more than 10,000 people who are either fully housed or in temporary housing.
A San Diego leader proposed paying residents on the brink of losing their homes $1,500 each to help nearly 1,000 people avoid homelessness.
Last year, the city opened the first of two “safe sleeping areas,” just weeks after the San Diego City Council voted to ban homeless encampments.
Mayor Gloria announced the plan to open the areas in June as a way to combat the city’s homelessness crisis, which has been exacerbated by opioids.
The city’s leaders have spoken out in the past about the need for such locations in an effort to get people off the streets.
Last year, DailyMail.com reported on a homeless San Diego woman who said homeless people in the city are being “spoiled” with free phones, food and clothes.
The city is also experiencing massive flooding due to the migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border.