Santa Cruz City Council rescinds new homeless camp site

The Santa Cruz City Council voted to rescind plans to create a new homeless camp at Parking Lot 24 next to Depot Park on Tuesday.

This comes as the council continues to discuss what to do with the homeless population currently encamped outside Gateway Plaza on River Street.

“Camp Ross is first and foremost not the homeless issue that it is, it’s the issue of drug addicts and people committing crimes to support their drug habits,” said one man during public comment.

“I think that what’s important in that is if there are mental health challenges, we don’t want add to the stress of that,” said another woman during public comment.

Councilmembers cited community pushback as a primary reason for rescinding the Lot 24 plan.

“The people that are in the Ross encampment have some risks associated with them,” said Lynn Renshaw, the chairwoman of the grassroots organization Santa Cruz Together. “For example, they consume 300-600 needles a day. Clearly, we don’t want that by our youth soccer field.”

The council also voted not to pursue any alternative campground in the city’s neighborhoods or parks at this time. But discussion soon moved once again to whether to shut down the existing homeless camp near Ross.

Some councilmembers expressed their desire to keep the camp open with modifications and adjustments to the way it is run while others cited health and safety concerns.

“Are you going to tell me there’s no criminal activity happening there? Do you overdose on legal drugs?” asked one woman during public comment.

“I had so many friends who went to college with me 20 years ago who were good, upstanding kids and now they’re homeless because the rent is so freaking expensive in this town,” said another man.

The council considered moving the Camp Ross closing date to April 30, but it did not pass.