Judge denies injunction, SLO County closing homeless parking site

April 26, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request to block the closure of a safe parking site off Highway 1 near the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office for an additional six months. The site is slated to close on April 29.

Established in 2021 as a temporary safe parking site, the county began taking steps last year to close the site. However, in January, Homeless Union of San Luis Obispo attorneys filed a restraining order request asking the court to stop the proposed closure.

On two occasions, the judge temporary restrained officials from closing the site.

Noting 10 people remain at the site, on April 23, the homeless coalition’s attorneys asked the county to extend the injunction for six months, or agree to pay for hotel rooms for the remaining residents for the next six months.

The county fired back with a motion to dismiss. The judge denied the plaintiffs request for a six-month injunction, which allows the site to close on April 29 at 3 p.m.

On Monday afternoon, the county plans to turnoff or close all services at the site, including restrooms, showers, trash, fencing, security and food delivery services. However, the county does not initially plan to arrest anyone remaining at the site.

Instead, the county will offer to store their RVs, vehicles and any personal belongings for at least 90 days. County staffers will then work to cleanup the site.

Since its establishment in Oct. 2021, 115 people have lived at the Oklahoma Avenue site, which was originally deemed temporary. And during that time, emergency personnel have responded to more than 500 calls for assistance.

Those calls include three deaths, along with medical, disturbing the peace, spousal abuse or battery, threats, burglary or theft and mental health issues.