Santa Maria city leaders say they face multiple challenges in keeping the riverbed free of encampments, and the issue goes beyond just homelessness.
“That challenge that we do have in those areas is it is San Luis Obispo County, so we can’t enforce the municipal code,” said Ruben Ramirez, Santa Maria City Ranger.
Ramirez shared that update during Tuesday’s city council meeting, where council members reviewed homelessness and encampment response efforts across the city.
“To get a cleanup crew, it’s very hard because it’s not the City of Santa Maria’s property or it’s not even the County of Santa Barbara,” Ramirez said.
He says the Santa Maria Riverbed area east of Highway 101, near what’s known as the Yoshida Line, falls just outside city limits and about 27 encampments were recently counted in that area.
“The unfortunate thing about the unhoused that are in this area is they do not want to take any of our help and it’s more of a way of life for them,” Ramirez said.
Meanwhile, Santa Maria Police Lieutenant Feliz Diaz says officers offer services first and enforcement last, but when encampments cross the county line, response often depends on mutual communication between agencies.
“None of our city municipal codes apply to any of those locations, so our enforcement action is limited in that sense,” Lt. Diaz said.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Commander John McDaniel says the sheriff’s office has handled more than 1,700 calls countywide this year, adding that deputies patrol the riverbed when resources and terrain allow.
“We have pretty limited staffing here at the Sheriff’s South Station,” Commander McDaniel said. “Our primary focus, ultimately, is responding to calls for service in the area.”
He agrees it will take a joint effort to resolve the issue.
“It’s going to take both sides of the riverbed are going to have to contribute resources to make sure we solve the problem,” he said.
Both the city and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office say they’re continuing to coordinate when possible, but geography, staffing and jurisdiction all play a role in how quickly they can respond.
