The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took what officials called “an important step toward humanely eliminating homeless encampments” by prohibiting camping on flood channels and other potentially dangerous public properties.
With a 5-0 vote the board upheld its Aug. 19 approval of Ordinance No. 4494, which bans camping on county public property where people may be exposed to dangers such as flooding, wildfire, extreme cold, extreme heat, rail collisions and traffic accidents.
Officials said the ordinance seeks to protect people experiencing homelessness by transitioning them out of environments considered public health and safety risks.
“The number of encampments on county public property has increased over recent years,” Board of Supervisors Chairman and 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Rowe said in a statement. “These conditions threaten not only those living within the encampments, but also the broader community. The goal of this ordinance is to address critical health and safety risks, while also ensuring that people experiencing homelessness have access to the care and support they need.”
Officials said the ordinance aligns with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order issued in July 2024 that urges local governments to enact policies addressing homeless encampments and taking action to humanely remove them.
“Passing this ordinance is an important step in our proactive approach to addressing homeless encampments,” Rowe said. “It also ensures that people experiencing homelessness have access to the appropriate supportive services.”
With the legal backing in place the county will prioritize flood channels and other areas that pose public health and safety dangers to “humanely relocate” people living in encampments, while connecting them with housing and supportive services. Officials said county workers have consistently done homeless outreach, and such efforts will continue before to any encampment clearing occurs.
Peggy Lee Kennedy was among eight people who spoke against the ordinance during the public comments portion of the meeting. She told the board, “62.5% of the people in your point-in-time count had zero income, that’s a huge number. So making it illegal for them to be outside and sleep outside is inhumane. We should be doing things to find solutions, real solutions.”
Fatima Baeza, who said she does outreach work in San Bernardino and Redlands to assist people experiencing homelessness, also criticized the ordinance and county homelessness policy.
“From listening to them, the way houselessness is being handled is getting worse and it’s getting worse because of you,” Baeza told board members. “You, the people with the power to make a change, are choosing to pass ordinances like this that harm houseless people, that keep them on the streets or puts them in jail. …
“Maybe you just don’t care about what happens to these people, as long as they’re out of sight from the public so we don’t have to be reminded about your failure to help the unhoused,” she added.
A county report noted that the ordinance was developed with input from staff members from the Office of Homeless Services along with the departments of Community Development and Housing, Public Works and Land Use Services.
“These departments will continue working collaboratively to support encampment residents through coordinated entry, case management, transportation, and behavioral health services, ensuring that implementation of the ordinance prioritizes both human dignity and community well-being,” according to the report.
The ordinance takes effect 30 days from Sept. 9.
It imposes fines for public camping violations ranging from $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second violation within one year and $500 for subsequent offenses.
According to the ordinance, residents are not allowed to block a street, sidewalk, alleyway, trail, county highway, entrance to public facilities, driveway or other public right of way “by sitting, lying or sleeping, or using or storing personal property.”
San Bernardino County reported a homeless population of 3,821 individuals following the 2025 Point-in-Time Count, a 10.2% decrease from 2024. A total of 2,620 people were unsheltered, a 14.2% decrease from the previous year. Sheltered homelessness totaled 1,201 county residents.
In March 2023 the board approved the $72 million Homeless Initiatives Spending Plan. Investments include:
- the establishment of the $40 million Housing Development Grant Fund;
- $70 million for Pacific Village Campus Phase II, which upon completion will provide 58 units of permanent supportive housing, 32 recuperative care beds and 16 beds for substance abuse treatment; and
- the acquisition of two motels to convert into 50 units of permanent supportive housing for encampment residents and 130 beds of interim housing for homeless patients exiting Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.
More information on the county’s homelessness programs is at sbchp.sbcounty.gov.
