Berkeley may soon restrict homeless encampments near preschools, after new tents in a northwest Berkeley neighborhood set off weeks of complaints from parents and neighbors.
Council members Rashi Kesarwani, Brent Blackaby and Terry Taplin have proposed a 600-foot buffer zone that would prohibit campsites near preschools and in-home daycare facilities, saying the goal is to "safeguard the health and welfare of young children," The Berkeley Scanner reported. The item could come before the full City Council by the end of October.
How Camelia Street got here
Concerns spiked after the city broke up much of the long-standing encampment around Eighth and Harrison streets. Berkeleyside reported in late September that city crews spent several days clearing the densest sections of that camp. Some residents moved elsewhere, and tents have since appeared at Ninth and Camelia streets, near two preschools and a school bus stop.
That location is tied to ongoing federal litigation brought by the Berkeley Homeless Union. A federal judge has said Berkeley must consider tent sites proposed by the union and allow them if they meet certain criteria, and Berkeleyside reported that several Camelia Street sites were among the locations the court ordered the city to consider. According to court papers cited by the Scanner, only one tent site has been approved so far, at Ninth and Camelia. City officials said this week that the judge decides where plaintiffs can camp.
What the city says it can and can't do
Under current policy, Berkeley can remove tents it deems fire or health hazards, public nuisances or street obstructions. The buffer zone would add proximity to preschools and daycares to that list.
Mayor Adena Ishii and City Manager Paul Buddenhagen held two large meetings this week, one for preschool parents and one for the wider community. Some residents called for an outright citywide camping ban, but Ishii and Buddenhagen said the city doesn't have the staff or money to enforce one. The mayor said the city is also looking for alternative sites for a new sanctioned encampment and the funding to run it, and Buddenhagen said officials will tour two possible sites in the coming weeks, without naming them.