Watsonville approves ‘no encampment zones’ along sloughs, levee and downtown plaza

Watsonville city leaders are establishing “no encampment zones” in waterways around the city, such as the Struve Slough and the Pajaro River levee, to help preserve its ecological infrastructure. 

To do this, the Watsonville City Council approved the changes to the city’s existing camping ordinance Tuesday evening. The move to establish “no encampment zones” follows ongoing concerns from community members regarding members of the unhoused community setting up shelters in various locations around the city, according to Watsonville Police Capt. Mish Radich. 

The ordinance — which was originally passed in 1987 — prohibits people to camp anywhere in the city, whether on public or private property from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. This includes using tents in outdoor areas and setting up shelter in structures that are “not intended for human occupancy.” 

City crews currently conduct weekly encampment and debris cleanups along levees, waterways and trails, providing people with a 72-hour notice to vacate, said public works director Danielle Green. 

Radich told city council members last month that this would mark the first update to the set of rules since it was adopted. He added that the recommended changes are in line with the city’s first homelessness strategic plan adopted last fall, which is intended to help reduce homelessness within Watsonville’s boundaries. 

The changes would establish designated areas within the city that would prohibit camping outright — and allow for immediate cleanup without additional notices to the unhoused community within these zones. 

Areas outside the “no encampment zones” will still require a 72-hour notice to vacate and trespassing laws will apply to those camping on private property, Radich said.

These areas include the Struve Slough, which is located near a popular commercial area on Main Street, areas near Salsipuedes Creek, the Watsonville side of the Pajaro River levee and the downtown city plaza, which is currently undergoing renovations. 

Green told the city council that many of the encampments often are located around the sloughs, levees and other “sensitive habitats” that are connected to waterways. She added that when a 72-hour notice is given, what happens is that people tend to move into adjacent areas. 

“By having encampments here that we’re chasing in these sensitive areas, it really creates a health hazard for those waterways and the public,” Green said. The ordinance updates, she said, are primarily to protect these natural resources and its infrastructure. 

City crews in 2024 conducted a large encampment cleanup along the Pajaro River levee, where they had to refill sections that had been dug out, which compromised the integrity of the levee. Last summer, on the Monterey County side, a similar cleanup was conducted as part of an effort to address the levee’s structural weakness and prevent further flooding.

Radich added that the city will put up signage in the “no encampment” zones, which will include information on shelters people can go to and how to retrieve their belongings if taken by police. 

While most city council members seemed in favor of the changes, city council member Vanessa Quiroz-Carter criticized them, calling the entire discussion on June 23 “uncomfortable and disgusting.” 

“People have rights. They have the right to public space, you can’t just kick them out because they look homeless,” she said. 

Quiroz-Carter added there are no adequate services, like shelters or overnight parking, in Watsonville to help prevent encampments from happening. The solution, she said, shouldn’t be making it illegal “for people to be places.” 

Watsonville city officials have been attempting to address the homelessness issue following a drastic uptick in unhoused residents in 2024. That year, the Salvation Army had to shut down its 24-bed shelter due to lack of funding, while other shelters in the Pajaro Valley were almost always at capacity. However, the city did see an improvement in its numbers in 2025. 

The city is also home to a 34-unit “tiny village” shelter, but that primarily serves unhoused residents living along both sides of the Pajaro River levee. 

“We need to have adequate services for people. We need to have adequate shelter for people, that’s a basic human right,” she said.