Vallejo says it may clean up the sprawling homeless encampment in the White Slough wetland next spring, at a cost of about $400,000, the city announced Oct. 27, according to The Reporter. City officials described spring as a planning window, not a firm date.
White Slough is a tidal wetland of more than 50 acres between Redwood Street and Highway 37 and between Sonoma Boulevard and Sacramento Street. It is habitat for the endangered Ridgway's (California clapper) rail.
The city does not own any of the land. Parcels belong to the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District, Caltrans and private owners. The Vallejo Sun reported that one of the largest private parcels is owned by a person who lives in the encampment.
At an earlier council meeting, assistant to the city manager Natalie Peterson estimated it would cost about $146,000 to clear debris and camps from the private parcels over three weeks, the Vallejo Sun reported. About 110 vehicles and 30 RVs would likely need to be towed, for another $28,000. Peterson said the city is suing private owners to get abatement orders, which could take two months, and that camps could come back even after that. The city is looking for outside money, including from Caltrans.
Advocates say a cleanup alone will not solve anything. Civil rights attorney Osha Neumann told The Reporter the plan "skirts the point that they are not actually providing a legal, sanctioned place where people can go." Eli Smith of the Vallejo Homeless Union warned that without safe camping, safe parking or new housing, people will move into nearby neighborhoods, including City Park, River Park, Vallejo Heights, Sonoma Boulevard and downtown.
Solano County's 2024 point-in-time count found 1,725 homeless people countywide, 682 of them in Vallejo.