On September 17, 2025, the Ukiah City Council voted unanimously to amend Ukiah’s anti-camping ordinance. The changes were presented by City Assistant Attorney Darcy Vaughn and Police Chief Tom Corning, who insisted the ordinance was simply “another tool in the toolbox” for addressing homelessness. Framed as a matter of protocol and compliance with state directives, the amendment removed the last safeguard, making it possible to cite individuals for camping even when no shelter is available. In fact, this ordinance targets homeless people as criminals for the simple reality of being without shelter or housing.
Our city officials described the ordinance as another “tool in the toolbox,” language meant to give the impression of progress, as if a shiny new tool could fix the crisis. But it is just words to cover for poor solutions. If the tool you have is a hammer but the crisis is a screw, you need a screwdriver. The hammer will not affix the screw. The same principle applies here: for houseless individuals with nowhere to go, you cannot address homelessness without providing housing, treatment, and support. Those are the tools to begin repair of the community and families, not laws that criminalize poverty, disabilities, mental illness, and addiction.
What the amendment actually does is remove the safeguard that without available shelter, people could not be arrested or cited for existing or “public camping” on the street. With that protocol removed, unhoused street folks are a target for citations and arrest. The city took a list of camping words and defined them to fit neatly into the narrative of the ordinance. A “camp facility” can mean nothing more than a tarp or a tent. “Camp paraphernalia” stretches to include blankets, sleeping bags, even a cooking pot. A “camp site” is any space where those items are found, and to “occupy” simply means to be present. To stand, to sit, to rest, to exist without a home or shelter is now a criminal offense.
What stood out for me was that the members of the City Council seemed to be in la la land, their own little world of make believe. In essence, they took the ordinance revision at face value without digging deeper. There were a few questions asked, but they were very superficial in nature. None of them asked the cost of the citation. Is it $50, $100, $500? Nor did they ask about the homeless individual’s ability to pay. What happens if they cannot pay? Do they get arrested? Does it tack on more fees? What about these so-called collaborations, about getting people to agree to shelter and linking them to services? Let me get this straight: law enforcement, who continually claim they are not mental health workers, are now ensuring that it is 100% their duty to aid people into help? Now isn’t that one hell of a turn of events! No one asked about access and barriers to services for these individuals. Why? Because they simply do not know. How could they, when they are in their own bubble and the only entity with authority that showed up was, you guessed it, the Ukiah Police Department. Where were the service providers? Why do they stay silent?
Our city officials did not just frame this ordinance as a matter of compliance; they revealed the stigma that continues to shape policy. Councilmember Heather Criss admitted that “housing is a human right” but quickly removed any responsibility by stating that “we are not there yet,” while also calling the state of homelessness “atrocious” and “embarrassing.” Councilmember Mari Rodin added that living in encampments is “very dangerous,” reinforcing fear rather than focusing on solutions. And Councilmember Susan Sher, while acknowledging that homelessness is not a one-size-fits-all issue, said she felt sympathy for the “neat and tidy ones,” not for those most in need of intervention. That distinction reveals that stigma is still driving the conversation, with compassion extended only to those who appear acceptable while the ones in most severe distress are written off.
Repeatedly, city staff called citations and jail a “last resort,” pointing to promised collaboration with service providers as proof that this ordinance would not be casually applied. Collaboration sounds effective, looks good on paper, and makes for tidy talking points. But after hours, when people are most vulnerable, there are no providers available to be present, leaving police as the only responders. And they only have so many tools: citation or jail. In reality, this “last resort” is going to be the only resort when half the time there is no service person available to coordinate options. On top of that, they discussed the aspect of finding shelter for the individual. What shelter? Where? How? Ukiah has one very small, limited shelter that is not capable of these accommodations, which makes the claim of navigating people to shelter and services nothing more than lip service.
At the end of the day, this ordinance does not create housing, treatment, or support. It creates citations and criminal records. The City can call that collaboration if it wants, but the truth is simpler: punishing people for poverty will never be a solution.
Thank you, Mazie, for having the courage to tell the plain truth.
Thank you Mr. Abeles…🍁💕
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We have jobs and $ you are SCUM. We will tell you everything that is wrong but, give no solutions or answers. Criss besides being on Ukiah Council works for the county in HOUSING FIRST SERVICES!!! With the new Prop likely, they are violating laws and are out of state compliance with these blind actions. The liars n deniers are in control. If it looks good to us NOTHING else matters, even though the glaring reality is far different that what we see though our blinkers, blinders and opaque rose colored glasses.
Hi Cherry, 🕊️⭐️
Sadly true and yes Heather mentioned her work within the homeless service sector during the city council meeting.They are actually being pushed into it via local hate groups, Trumps EO and the states crackdown on street camping, loss of funding if they do not comply with state mandates.
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As the internal state of the Empire slides ever further into disfunction and disarray, a lot of so-called human rights are flaking away. There never was a time when housing actually was in that category, but it did used to be easier to find.
Anatole France summed the situation up a while ago – “The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.”
There are often times when our leadership is the embarrassment.
Hi Izzy, 🕊️🍁
What you said about the “majestic equality” of the law is so true, the rules apply on paper, but they protect power, not people. I would say, housing has always been a right, whether our leaders acknowledged it or not. The gap between recognition and reality is exactly where so much harm and stigma takes root.
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