Politics & Government

Palo Alto Committee Considers a Ban on Living in Vehicles Tuesday

Homeless advocates hope that Palo Alto continues allow people to live in their cars.

Written by Bay City News, Inc.

A committee Tuesday tonight will consider whether to recommend that the Palo Alto City Council adopt a law that prohibits people from sleeping overnight in their vehicles, a city spokeswoman said.

Palo Alto's Police and Services Committee, made up of four of the nine members of the City Council, will meet at 7 p.m. in the council chambers, at 250 Hamilton Ave., to discuss the proposal. Patch will report on the results of the meeting Wednesday.

Palo Alto is the only city in Santa Clara County that does not have an ordinance limiting or preventing people from sleeping or living in parked vehicles, city communications officer Claudia Keith said.

The city now prohibits people from staying in a parked vehicle for more than 72 hours and instructs the Palo Alto Police Department to refer them to shelters and social service providers, Keith said.

"We've been trying to work without an ordinance," Keith said. "The intent is to provide the Police Department with an enforcement tool but only as a last resort. I think we're looking for a thoughtful solution to it."

City officials in 2011 considered drafting a law blocking people from living in their cars with some exceptions, similar to laws in other cities in the county, according to a May 14 committee staff report.

Back then, Palo Alto police estimated that about 20 people lived out of vehicles throughout in the city, while homeless advocates said it was more like 100 people, according to the report. The advocates maintained that "for the most part such persons are peaceful, do not bother residents, and in some cases provide helpful services to the community," the report said.

The City Council took no action on the issue after advocates asked the city to continue to offer assistance to those living in parked cars and trailers, according to the report. The city considered trying a pilot program mirrored after a law in Eugene, Ore., that allowed vehicle dwellers to live in designated areas overseen by faith-based groups, Keith said.

Last November, the city staff met with a homeless organization called Downtown Streets Team to find religious congregations interested in permitting the dwellers to park at their properties, according to the staff report.

One group, the Palo Alto Friends Meeting, considered adopting the pilot program at the site of the Friends Nursery School on Colorado Avenue and held two community meetings about it. But neighbors in the area circulated a petition against the plan and in the meetings "there was general concern with safety, privacy, and they felt the site was inadequate to accommodate the proposed activity," the committee reported.

Only one congregation expressed interest in sponsoring the pilot program and city staff would have to spend more time administrating it with its limited resources, the committee reported. The policy committee is now reconsidering whether to recommend the council in fact pass a law prohibiting overnight living in vehicles, Keith said.

The Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce has endorsed a proposed "Living in Vehicles" ordinance based on the Eugene law, according to chamber president Paul Wright. The ordinance would allow police to investigate incidents of inappropriate behavior by people who live in vehicles that are reported by business people and residents, Wright said.

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.


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