Poway appears poised to soon approve a camping ban similar to the one the San Diego City Council signed off on last week.
But as Voice of San Diego intern Kathryn Gray writes, Poway may face a major hitch in enforcing it.
To crack down on camps, Poway will need to ensure it can provide shelter for unhoused residents that sheriff’s deputies encounter within 24 hours and homeless service providers say that’s a tall order.
One provider deemed it “almost impossible” to secure a North County shelter bed that quickly and a Poway councilman who has championed discussion of the ban also acknowledged the ban might not immediately be enforceable.
The Show Goes On
The pandemic disrupted nearly everything. And the live music landscape was no exception. Venues endured shutdowns and while some got by with federal aid, others did not survive.
But as the pandemic closures eased, something surprising developed in San Diego. Voice contributor Peter Blackstock writes that large concert venues stepped up to fill in gaps.
Now, many of those large venues have become regional attractions. And, there’s more large venues on the way.
VOSD Podcast: The Controversial Camping Ban Is Here
In the latest VOSD Podcast episode, our hosts sat around a square table to break down everything that happened when the San Diego City Council narrowly passed a ban on camping.
They get into shelter stats, questions about enforcement and some tense moments at the meeting. Listen to that episode here.
And bonus! We have a special interview with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. He joined our host Scott Lewis to talk about the ordinance and how the city plans to address homelessness. The episode was recorded before the vote, fyi, but there’s plenty of good stuff here that you won’t want to miss. Listen to the bonus episode here.
Politics Report: Expectations Are High
In the latest Politics Report, Scott Lewis reflects on the conversation San Diego’s City Council had about the city’s response to homelessness.
He writes, “I can’t remember any time the topic has come up where the full breadth of the crisis was explored this deeply and where the city’s shortcomings were acknowledged so completely.”
Lewis lists some key points to consider as the city moves forward with its camping ban. One of the most striking is that expectations are high.
Read the Politics Report here.
In Other News
- ICYMI: The latest Cup of Chisme has everything you need to know to start your week. A lot of news happened, so grab some cafecito and catch up. Read it here.
- The Union-Tribune reports that San Diego County has endorsed state legislation that would bar counties from siphoning Social Security benefits to pay themselves to care for foster youth, which had been a longtime county practice.
- ESPN broke the news Friday that San Diego State is looking to leave the Mountain West athletic conference, a decision that would translate into an exit fee totaling millions of dollars.
- The Union-Tribune reports on the legal questions surrounding the camping ban. Related: Our Lisa Halverstadt joined KPBS’s Roundtable to discuss what happened last week and what’s next.
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
“so grab some cafecito and catch up.”
i can’t fathom that you need a gringo to instruct you in Spanish. ‘some cafecito’ is like saying ‘some cup o’ joe’. i think ‘A cafecito’ would be mas correcto, como no.
Most of Poway’s homeless live in R.V.s scattered throughout the city. They don’t need shelters.