Antioch seeks stricter ordinance to clear homeless encampments

ANTIOCH, Calif. (KGO) -- As San Francisco and Oakland crackdown on their homeless encampments, Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe believes many are coming to Antioch. But now, Antioch is crack downing as well.

"I want to be very, very clear. That Antioch is not going to be a dump site for the Bay Area's problems," says Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe. "I am proposing a change to our camping ordinance, specifically includes trails, like these, waterways, and other city assets like plazas."

The city passed a no camping ordinance in 1996, but the mayor says it wasn't strictly enforced. This summer's U.S. Supreme Court Grants Pass ruling granted state and local authorities more power to clear homeless encampments. Then in July, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that allows state agencies to clear homeless camps. Cities like Antioch can lose out on funding if they don't comply.

"We have applied for $6 million from the state. We don't want that funding compromised," says the mayor.

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That money is to fund more transitional housing. Currently, the city has the Executive Inn, which houses more than 40 people - with another 200 people on the waitlist.

The mayor says the city is trying to provide resources for those living on the streets. But can't neglect the concerns of residents, either.

"We shouldn't have encampments at our trails and in our waterways. That poses a public threat. That's not right," says Mayor Hernandez-Thorpe.

Mary Barnes is the assistant manager at Bella Rose Apartments. She says rocks have been installed along the nearby creek and trail to form a barrier with the apartment's property. But she adds, the problem is getting so bad that tenants are leaving.

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"They are starting fires. At nighttime, the tenants can't sleep. Just a lot of things are going on with the homeless," says Barnes.

"It's sad day for me, for Antioch. I'm disappointed," says Nichole Gardner, with the advocacy group Facing Homelessness, which serves Antioch.

She says Antioch has made some progress. But that the latest evacuation orders don't help since there isn't enough temporary housing available to offer.

"So if it's this apartment over here, they go down the street, it's going to be somebody else that's complaining. I think it criminalizes homelessness," says Gardner.

The mayor says the new ordinance will likely be introduce at next week's city council meeting.