Oroville’s city council last night discussed the state of homelessness in the city. The discussion was around a recent Supreme Court ruling that gave cities the authority to enforce anti-camping laws on unhoused residents.
The meeting also comes after a recent executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom for local governments to address encampments.
Oroville council members said they wanted to remain compassionate toward those experiencing homelessness, but also toward business owners who spoke during public comment about incidents including assault and property damage they said were carried out by unhoused residents.
Mayor David Pittman said solutions to homelessness should not be at the cost of the city’s business community.
“There’s a lot of good people doing a lot of good work here and I certainly don’t want to deter any of that, but at the same time we have a security issue that we have to find solutions to,” Pittman said.
No resolutions were proposed at the meeting, but councilors did make a decision to form a committee that can work with the city attorney to find more tools to address challenges.
Councilmember Tracy Johnstone spoke in favor of the committee.
“Forming a committee, putting ordinances in place that can even further our agenda of making sure that we all live in a safe, happy thriving community is something that’s very important to me,” Johnstone said.
The council was also updated by city staff on existing programs to patrol public spaces and direct unhoused residents to resources, as well as on the progress of Esperanza Village, which will include a congregate shelter and 30 micro-shelters constructed by the company Pallet. The site is set to open this fall.
According to Butte County’s latest count of people experiencing homelessness, Oroville had 277 unhoused residents. That’s the second highest number in the county following Chico which had 925 unhoused residents. Of those who were experiencing homelessness in Oroville, 65% were unsheltered.
The Oroville City Council will reconvene around the topic next month.
