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Redwood City outreach workers warned Monday that the city’s newly adopted anti-camping law could worsen the struggles of unhoused residents already living with trauma and mental health challenges.
“Every individual has different traumas … and they haven’t been able to address them,” said Laurie Todd, a case manager who works directly with people experiencing homelessness. “How we implement this ordinance and enforce it will determine whether they get housed and services, or jailed.”
Elisa Rangel, speaking on behalf of LifeMoves, said the ordinance is already disrupting clients’ stability.
“Our clients are no longer attending their mental health treatment, they’re no longer attending their doctor appointments … because they’re so worried about having to be moved, losing all their stuff,” she told the council. “Now they lose their documents, so we have to start all over again. It’s really hard, and it’s impacting the clients even more.”
A 2019 San Mateo County plan found nearly one in four unhoused residents were living with a serious mental illness, most of them unsheltered. The report warned that repeated displacement could worsen trauma, interrupt treatment, and break trust with providers — the same concerns raised Monday by outreach workers. At the time, county officials pointed to permanent supportive housing, intensive case management, and trauma-informed shelter practices as the most effective ways to stabilize people and reduce the cycle of homelessness, jail, and emergency care.
Council adopts ordinance
Despite those warnings, the City Council voted 6–1 to adopt the ordinance, with Council member Chris Sturken again dissenting.
“This ordinance is not only ineffective, but it’s also inhumane,” Sturken said, adding he did not want to belabor the issue. “I don’t think it’s who we are as a city, and it doesn’t align with our values.”
The law, called the Hopeful Horizons: Empowering Lives Initiative, prohibits camping on public property when shelter is available and offered. People who refuse shelter after two warnings may face misdemeanor charges of up to a $100 fine or six months in jail, though officials say diversion programs will be prioritized.
The ordinance designates schools, waterways and the San Mateo County Navigation Center as “sensitive areas” where encampments can be cleared with 48 hours’ notice instead of 72. It also authorizes county staff to enforce the law alongside city police and code enforcement.
The ordinance takes effect Oct. 8, 30 days after adoption.
Fewer voices, familiar divide
Only a handful of residents spoke Monday, far fewer than in July when the council first introduced the ordinance.
Tony Crapo, a Bair Island resident, urged the council to move forward.
“Our community has not seen any improvements,” he said. “Instead, we’ve seen an increase in homeless activity and an explosion of encampments in our area. This has led to a number of serious issues … Given these ongoing problems and the extreme fire risk they pose, I strongly support the anti-camping ordinance.”
Crapo went further, stating he would like to see Sturken removed from office over his opposition to the law.
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