BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Shafter City Council approved adopting a new ordinance that directly bans sleeping or camping in public during its meeting on Tuesday.
The Council voted 4-0 to approve the ordinance. Council member Pete Espinoza was absent.
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The ordinance adds a section regulating sleeping in public spaces in Chapter 9 of Shafter’s municipal code.
The new section outlaws camping or sleeping in a tent, trailer, motorhome or other camping facilities or shelters on public property of the city.
Camping is defined in the ordinance as placing or occupying camp facilities, temporarily living in a camp facility or outdoors and using camp paraphernalia.
It also bans sleeping out of doors on any public property, including city parks, sidewalks and city-owned parking lots, according to the ordinance.
While Shafter already has rules addressing issues related to sidewalk obstruction, camping structures and camping in certain parks, this ordinance is designed to bring those rules together to provide clarity on regulation.
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The new ordinance is also meant to help the city align better with Kern County’s anti-camping ordinance, according to city officials.
The ordinance will also help the city address issues of encampments in some vacant California High Speed Rail properties in the northern areas of Shafter, officials said.
The ordinance is expected to take effect 30 days from Tuesday’s adoption.