The Thousand Oaks Police Department enforces laws where applicable; however, homelessness in itself is not a crime. In addition, recent court cases have made it more difficult to enforce laws traditionally used in homeless incidents such as living out of a vehicle and illegal camping. In addition, propositions recently approved by California voters have either decriminalized or minimized narcotics offenses. In many cases, where a person would have gone to jail in the past, they are either given a citation or there is simply no violation that exists anymore.

As a community, we will not arrest our way out of this problem. Long term solutions require the cooperation of all stakeholders following a comprehensive plan and the cooperation of citizens to not enable a homeless lifestyle by providing them with short term food and money.

Homeless encampments can cause a variety of problems, especially with trash and sanitation. In many of the locations, the city’s landscape workers, Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA), Cal-Trans, or Ventura County Public Works, work with the Thousand Oaks Police Department to clean these areas shortly after they are discovered. Homeless individuals are warned to leave, given a notice to vacate the property, and are provided with information on supportive services available. In some cases, they remain at the camp despite the warning. Those previously warned are cited for illegal camping, and the matter is turned over to the Thousand Oaks City Attorney or the District Attorney (depending on the jurisdiction) for processing.

In some cases, encampments are found on private property. See trespassing question for information.

Trespassing laws in California are very complex and often times there is no violation where one would typically think a violation exists. Almost all trespassing laws in California are misdemeanors which typically results in a citation or a very brief stay in jail.

Littering is an infraction which only results in the issuance of a citation. The homeless person you are concerned about may be receiving citations for littering, but with an inability to pay for the citation, and the penalty is minimal.

Sleeping in cars would have to be enforced on a case-by-case analysis. The City does have various regulations such as overnight parking restrictions, over-sized vehicle restrictions, etc. that are still valid and must be followed. Since there are no clear-cut rules established by the courts in this area, these would have to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Current rulings do not require cities to allow anyone to sleep anywhere at any time. It acknowledges that cities can impose regulations, including prohibiting someone from sleeping in particular public areas. Open space is a public area that the City has significant concerns over letting someone camp or sleep. Public health and safety concerns, including wildfires, threats to wildlife, damage to the ecosystem that encampments can cause, and potential safety concerns for individuals camping off designated trails, are some of the reasons the ordinances prohibit both sleeping and camping at any time in open space.