New Ordinance bans Urban Camping in Lompoc city limits

LOMPOC, Calif. - Lompoc will very soon be cracking down on homeless encampments in and around the city.

Earlier this month, the Lompoc city council voted unanimously to make camping within city limits illegal.

A 2024 Supreme Court ruling paved the way for these types of ordinances.

“The urban camping that's going on both in our city are right outside the city in our river, which is also the the water that we drink, our aquifer water,” says Lompoc mayor James Mosby.

Camping will no longer be allowed on public and private property, unless otherwise specified by the property owner.

“We're not picking on any group of people. It's just is it really is a safety component,” says Mosby.

Mayor Mosby says the living conditions in these encampments are unsafe. 

“At night we're allowing these people to to dehumanize in their sleep the way they are and act where they are and a lot of other things that are happening that shouldn't be happening,” says mayor Mosby. 

The ordinance passed on march 4th, and has a 30-day processing period before it can be implemented.

“So it's be happening soon, very soon. And we're going to get the people the help that they need that are in these environments and at a point in the right direction, there's a lot of housing agencies that are out there that are helping the people to find housing,” says mayor Mosby.

Mayor Mosby says law enforcement is working hard to engage those who are unhoused in a positive manner and to help connect them with resources.

“For a homeless individual, the best thing would be to get engaged with the coordinated entry system. They do an assessment of the individual for their need level of need and and connect them with resources,” says Sanford Riggs, operations director for Santa Barbara County Housing Authority.

For further information on the Housing Authority’s Coordinated Entry System, you can click here.