City of Fresno tweaks city code for illegal camping enforcement

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno council members agreed to tweak a local law Thursday, providing clarity as the city cracks down on illegal camping.

The controversial clean-ups began in September after the council passed a new ordinance last summer.

It allows crews to remove items from public spaces, and Fresno Police can even arrest violators. Until Thursday, council members say the required notice was unclear.

"All of a sudden, it's posted - The clock starts," Councilmember Nick Richardson from District 6 said. "By the original text, although not the spirit of the text, by law, one hour later, they could come back to remove my items and remove me."

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Richardson moved to change the city code. It now requires city teams to wait at least 24 hours before moving in.

Advocate Dez Martinez says it is still too short.

"Giving me 24 hours to pack up everything that I unpacked and used to make it homey and not go insane just living in a box - I need more time," she said.

Martinez wants at least 72 hours for people to pick up their things and move.

"Sometimes they leave us alone for months," Martinez said. "After a month, we've already made it our home. We've fixed it up. We've found an old sofa that was dropped off. We make it our home."

City officials believe illegal camping is a safety issue and say violators are already on notice.

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Council President Mike Karbassi of District 2 confirms a 24-hour notice complies with state law.

"We're not punishing anyone for being homeless," he said. "We're punishing behaviors. And there are certain behaviors that no matter your housing status, you just can't do. And that's what this is about. You can't block a sidewalk. You can't block a park bench."

Councilmembers also approved another measure, agreeing to prosecute other cities that send unhoused people to Fresno without their consent.

"We only have so many resources to help the homeless people in Fresno," Karbassi said. "We can't afford to have other cities just try to irresponsibly ship human beings here to get them out of sight and out of mind."

Karbassi says the city is already aware of and actively investigating such incidents of unhoused people being brought to Fresno, specifically an incident in the Pinedale area of Northwest Fresno.

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