PD Editorial: With shelter open, county should pass camping law

Once again, a segment of the Joe Rodota Trail is closed.

Repeated closures over the past several years — resulting from homeless encampments — have been a nuisance for pedestrians and bicyclists traveling between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol as well as people living or working nearby.

Moreover, cleanups, like the one underway now, often cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But with a little luck, the current trail closure could be the last one.

The Board of Supervisors, having opened an emergency homeless camp at the county government center in Santa Rosa, is poised to enact a law banning camping in certain public places, most notably the Joe Rodota Trail.

A vote on the proposed ordinance could come as early as Tuesday.

To many residents, this probably seems long overdue.

However, before homeless camps are dismantled, local governments are required to offer unhoused people somewhere else to go.

In a 2018 case from Boise, Idaho, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that local jurisdictions must allow homeless people to sleep on public property when no other shelter is available. The decision applies to nine states, including California, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.

Since the Boise decision, federal courts have upheld various restrictions on camping in public places, many of which are incorporated in a proposed update of Sonoma County’s camping ordinance.

Among other things, it would bar camping in close proximity to homes, businesses, schools, parks, day care centers, shelters and designated safe parking areas in unincorporated areas of the county. The ordinance also would prohibit interference with public rights of way, a category that would cover the Joe Rodota Trail. Violations would be misdemeanors punishable by a fine of up $500 and six months in jail.

Opening the 87-tent outdoor shelter at the Sonoma County government center on March 21 cleared the way for removal of the most recent encampment from the trail, just as establishing a tiny home village at Los Guilicos allowed for relocation of a much larger group of campers in 2020.

Enacting the camping ordinance would give the county a tool to prevent yet another encampment from closing the Joe Rodota Trail — but only if the supervisors commit the county to enforcing the rules. Otherwise, the ordinance will just be another piece of paper in the county archives.

The 8.5-mile trail, named for Sonoma County’s first park director, is a popular route for recreational riders, and it offers a safe alternative for commuters looking to get out of their cars. Keeping it open should be a priority for the county.

Meanwhile, homelessness remains a huge challenge in Sonoma County, and it won’t be solved by passing an anti-camping ordinance.

In 2022, a countywide census found 2,800 homeless people, with only 800 living in shelters. There is no quick or inexpensive fix. More shelters, more transitional housing and more affordable housing will be needed along with social services, including mental health care and substance abuse treatment, to finally break the cycle of homelessness.

At the same time, the county and other local governments must protect neighborhoods, schools and other community assets, including the Joe Rodota Trail. Passing the camping ordinance would be a good first step.

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