Oxnard officials move to remove homeless camps from old Halaco site

The ideas on addressing homelessness in Oxnard ranged from declaring a state of emergency to establishing a tent city. They were just ideas, the kinds that are often brought up in the days leading up to winter, when elected officials mull the details of temporarily housing the homeless.

But the City Council on Tuesday had an even more pressing matter to consider — ways to halt the ever growing homeless encampments at the former Halaco Engineering Co. property near Ormond Beach.

Located on Perkins Road, the land has been declared a Superfund site and has attracted homeless people through the years. But the number of homeless people who congregate there has significantly increased this year to approximately 120. Directly across from coastal wetlands, which the state and environmental groups are trying to restore, there are some 50 camps and 50 cars and RVs.

“It grows on a daily basis,” said Ashley Golden, the city’s development services director.

On Thursday, the Oxnard Police Department, joined by other homeless liaison officers from Ventura and Simi Valley and other city departments served notices to vacate. The homeless people have until Dec. 5 to leave the property or risk arrest.

Joining the police were about 20 social workers offering social services to the homeless. They made contact with about 60 people, another 25 refused services.

Assistant Police Chief Jason Benites said everybody was compliant and there were no issues. There were 17 arrests made due to prior warrants and a stolen camper trailer was found.

City staff said the area has become a major public safety and public health issue. Trash and human waste are found throughout the site.

"This is not only a public safety issue, it's a public health issue and it's an environmental health issue," Benites said. "You have all three intersecting and something has to be done."

There have been 87 police calls to the area so far this year; one of them was a homicide and another was a carjacking. This month alone there have been three instances of assault and a gang member found in possession of a shotgun, according to police.

Mayor Tim Flynn said the encampments have been a drain on city resources.

“Bottom line is, the reason why we haven’t particularly acted in an aggressive way is it takes an enormous amount of money,” Flynn said. “But now the fact that we’re not acting is exceeding (the cost of) acting.”

Flynn suggested the idea of a tent city, placing tents on a piece of city-owned land.

"If we don't act and if we don't act soon, it's going to become an insurmountable crisis," he said.

Another reason the city hasn't been able to gain control is that city staff have been unsuccessful in getting a hold of the property owners. Recently the city reached Asset Resolution Management, which leases the property. The company agreed to sign an agreement allowing the police to post notices Thursday.

Efforts to clean up the property have also met opposition. Weed removal and other abatement efforts were appealed by a Camarillo church. A date for the administrative hearing to solve the issue has not been set. Should the city eventually clean up the property, the cost will be billed to the owner and the lessee. The city has the ability to place a lien on the property for failure to pay.  

The situation at Halaco is an indication that homelessness is a regional and statewide issue, said Councilwoman Carmen Ramirez.

"It is the lack of housing and services for people who can't afford the rents here," she said. "We simply can't take a hose to wash people away."

Councilman Bryan MacDonald said the city should consider declaring a state of homeless emergency, something City Attorney Stephen Fischer said he was looking into, as well as other options.

Benites said they will likely go there multiple times to offer services before the evacuation date. He said he hopes the displaced will take advantage of the winter shelter.

"The shelter is a much better place than Halaco," Benites said.

Read more:West Ventura County winter shelter lacks site and operator

The temporary homeless shelter, which typically runs December to March, could be at the National Guard Armory in Ventura this year. The site hasn't been finalized but the armories of Oxnard and Ventura typically take turns. The shelter has been in Oxnard the past three years. Construction at the Ventura Armory prevented it from being a shelter for the past two years.  

Housing Director Arturo Casillas said funding for the shelter, at about $345,000, will come from Oxnard, Ventura, the county and private donations. The shelter will need an operator and as of Tuesday, none had responded to the bidding process seeking one. The bidding period was scheduled to end Friday.