Redwood City adds to anti-camping ordinance

Alternative shelter must be offered and available, and individuals cannot be cited or arrested for violating the ordinance unless they decline the offer after 72 hours. But based on previous discussion, the Redwood City Council voted in a meeting Aug. 25, to expedite encampment removal near waterways as a public safety measure, adding to the list of sensitive areas in the policy, which also includes schools and the Navigation Center. Instead of the default 72-hour warning, encampments within 200 feet of those areas could be cleared within 48 hours.

The updated changes to the ordinance also include setting up a subcommittee on homelessness, which would meet three to four times a year and assess progress and make recommendations to the council — in addition to establishing the county as an enforcement partner, in addition to the city.

“That’s really to provide the notices,” Assistant City Manager Patrick Heisinger said. “In the event other cities join on or adopt the ordinance, the county might not be able to respond solely to Redwood City, so the city may need to do other enforcement activities.”

The move comes as several other Bay Area jurisdictions start adopting stricter approaches to homelessness, particularly those who are resistant to treatment or shelter. The state has also pushed for jurisdictions to crack down, especially after last year’s Grant’s Pass v. Johnson U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overruled previous limits on anti-camping ordinances.

Councilmember Chris Sturken was the sole opponent to the ordinance. In the August meeting, he noted that having a misdemeanor on one’s record makes it harder for individuals to be accepted into high-demand affordable housing, defeating the stated purpose of the policy.

In June, Millbrae passed perhaps the strictest anti-camping ordinance in the county — which does not require the offer of housing prior to citation — and San Jose recently supported a policy that could subject individuals to a misdemeanor for refusing housing more than three times over an 18-month period. Fremont’s ordinance passed at the end of last year does not mandate prior noticing and also comes with a possible misdemeanor, jail time and up to $1,000 in fines.

As of June 2025, there are 141 unsheltered individuals living in Redwood City, with the majority of unsheltered individuals being Hispanic males between the ages 35 and 64, according to a staff report. There are approximately 29 homeless encampments in Redwood City — 12 on city property, 14 on Caltrans property and three on private property — with an average of three individuals living in a single encampment, as of June 2025.

Other residents, including in the Bair Island neighborhood, say the lack of enforcement of encampments creates serious public safety risks and has been the cause of multiple fires, including one in early June and another across Redwood Creek a few weeks later.

Councilmember Diane Howard said she was in support of the amendments and overall approach the city is taking toward encampments.

“I was pleased to see the county is willing to help us, because we have been trying desperately with the [Homeless Outreach Team], and there are other groups and other organizations that are working with the encampments,” Howard said. “And I do believe that, working with the county, we have the beds available. We just keep trying very desperately to work with people who are really struggling, mentally and physically.”