Residents in one San Diego neighborhood by the beach are used to seeing sunbathers and surfers walking down the street. But now, they say the idyllic seaside setting has been overrun by vagrants camping out in vans and RVs.
"It's not as family-friendly anymore," Pacific Beach resident Debbie Turnbull told KNSD. "We don't like to take our dogs or animals out to walk at night because you don't feel safe. You don't know what's going on over there."
San Diego County has one of the largest homeless populations in California, with more than 10,200 people, according to an annual survey in 2023.
The San Diego City Council banned homeless encampments in July 2023, which got people who were living in tents off city streets. But now, residents in neighborhoods like Pacific Beach say vagrants have moved from the downtown area to low-key suburbs where laws that prevent people from camping in vehicles apparently aren't being enforced.
Last month, a years-long legal challenge of San Diego's Vehicle Habitation Ordinance -- which bans people from sleeping in their cars from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., and from parking within 500 feet of a home or school at any time -- was settled, allowing authorities to resume enforcing the law as long as the city provides a suitable alternative for people sleeping in their vehicles. The city says it currently has four Safe Parking sites, two of which are open 24-hours.
And residents should notice a difference soon. In a statement to KSWB, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said officers are permitted to take enforcement action once they receive the appropriate training -- which began on March 21.