by Chula Vista Mayor John McCann said Tuesday that the city is in talks with the California Department of Transportation to expedite the process of addressing homeless encampments on the transportation agency’s property, following San Diego’s example.
With a few exclusions, the city has started to work toward granting the Chula Vista Homeless Outreach Team permission to sweep up encampments on freeway ramps in the South Bay city. Previously, only Caltrans staff were permitted to perform this operation.
According to McCann, homeless camps beside our freeways are unsightly, filthy, and encourage criminal activity. In order to facilitate and expedite the process of obtaining authorization to address encampments on state-owned property, city employees began negotiating a deal with Caltrans.
According to McCann, he met with Ann Fox, the director of Caltrans District 11, to talk about how to strengthen the partnership between the state agency and the city.
In order to clear dangerous and filthy homeless encampments along a five-mile stretch of state freeways that pass through Little Italy, downtown, Sherman Heights, East Village, and Barrio Logan, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria last month signed a one-year pilot program agreement with Caltrans that permits city crews and law enforcement to enter Caltrans land.
In addition to being ugly, the homeless camps beside our roadways are dangerous. “I’m thrilled to see this creative collaboration come to life after months of negotiations,” Gloria stated. Through this agreement, the city will be able to use Caltrans property in and around downtown to help residents improve their living conditions and clean up encampments.
Gloria stated in his 2025 State of the City address that it was time for the city to have equitable treatment from organizations like Caltrans and the county in regards to homelessness. He claimed that the weight of homeless people who struggle with substance addiction and/or mental health concerns has been placed on the city for far too long.
As residents of San Diego, we can all agree that we want people to live safely, in housing, and away from state highways, Fox added. Caltrans’s daily efforts to handle encampments along state roadways have been facilitated by the city of San Diego and other cities in San Diego County. Caltrans works closely with communities to dismantle encampments and assist local partners in providing shelters and aid, as seen by this agreement.
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The San Diego agreement, which was announced in July, permits the city to remove garbage and waste from encampments and permits city outreach workers to enter state property to provide shelter and housing resources to individuals there.
We can respond to homeless encampments more swiftly and relocate unsheltered individuals to safer locations where they can receive the assistance they require by reducing red tape and allowing local towns to use existing procedures, said Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas.
Roadside encampments are hazardous and damaging; they pose a risk of fire, litter, and frequently cause damage to traffic infrastructure, making them unsafe for both residents and drivers.
This agreement is a significant step in our efforts to address the scourge of unsheltered street homelessness with increased urgency and intergovernmental coordination.
