Last Wednesday night, despite appeals from over 160 residents in letters and public testimony, the Encinitas City Council chose not to restore our proven Safe Parking Program.
We’ll dive into that Special Meeting on the Homeless Action Plan (HAP), and then look at the subsequent regular meeting – during which city commission appointments were made.
The focus: the Homeless Action Plan (HAP) — both a progress update and a first look at the 2026–2031 draft.
Noticeably missing? No Safe Parking Program (SPP).
Thank you to more than 160 of you who submitted written comments urging its return.
The result?: No timeline for SPP. No commitment. And reading the room — not much appetite to bring it back. Three community input meetings on the HAP revisions are next.
What Happened to Safe Parking?
- The SPP ran for five years … zero incidents, strong track record, life-changing support for many Encinitas residents. It was funded largely by regional grants and Jewish Family Service (JFS), with the City contributing the lot for $1/year. When a grant gap hit, JFS asked the City for $610,000 for one year. Council countered with $150,000 for six months. No deal. The lot closed December 31.
- The City staff and Council knew back in May 2025 that SPP grant funding would run out by year-end. At the time, Encinitas had no dedicated homeless-services staff after resignations — meaning no consistent point person coordinating the program or an RFP for continuing SPP. So, the City let the program languish.
Isn’t the San Diego Rescue Mission Enough?
- The San Diego Rescue Mission (SDRM) has served 98 people and made 40 placements in its first two months — strong work
- But SDRM doesn’t operate 24/7, and it’s not a nightly parking solution. The former SPP was open 365 nights a year — and according to Sheriff’s Captain Watts, it was often the only placement deputies could offer to people sleeping in vehicles.
But SDRM doesn’t operate 24/7, and it’s not a nightly parking solution. The former SPP was open 365 nights a year — and according to Sheriff’s Captain Watts, it was often the only placement deputies could offer to people sleeping in vehicles.
What About Hotel Vouchers Instead?
- The Mayor and several councilmembers suggested people living in their cars would be better served with hotel vouchers.
- Hotel Vouchers are an alternative that requires identification of a willing private property owner, neighborhood support, long term site control, and a program, including screening and case management services. — the same guardrails already built into the Safe Parking Program.
Bigger Question: What’s the Strategy?
- Some councilmembers have framed Safe Parking as a “regional” issue better handled elsewhere. Others argue Encinitas should share responsibility — not outsource it.
Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara said he considered the SPP lot a “regional” program, rather than one for Encinitas people. He said he would support an overnight parking lot if it were in a different city. Click here for video.
Councilmember Shaffer said living in Encinitas is a “privilege,” and noting that safe parking exists in other cities like Oceanside. He also said residents should offer their driveways to people sleeping in their vehicles (uh…that’s against city ordinances). Click here for video.
- The Buena Creek Navigation Center, located in Vista, is a good example of how cities (Encinitas and Vista) can regionally collaborate to address homelessness.
- Yet, Encinitas is not doing its part: without the SPP, our city does not have any type of year-round safe and stable place to sleep for people experiencing homelessness. Evidence shows people are more likely to stabilize and secure housing when they remain connected to local networks, services, and case managers.
- Without a shelter option in the city, Safe Parking was one of the few local safety valves.
Food For Thought:
- If the program was valued, why wasn’t an RFP issued for alternative operators back when funding challenges became clear?
- Is relying solely on regional beds realistic when vehicle dwellers need a safe, legal place to sleep tonight?
- If vouchers are the plan, where’s the framework to prevent repeating past mistakes?
- Is shifting people to other cities a solution — or simply moving the problem out of sight?
Safe Parking – What Now? Encinitas now faces a clear policy choice:
- Push the “problem” of unhoused people to other cities’ shelters and Safe Parking lots, or
- Build a compassionate, data-driven strategy that includes local responsibility.
We don’t expect that everyone who wants to live in Encinitas is entitled to, but we do expect to take care of our own. And we stand firm in the conviction that to maintain our community character, we have to keep our longtime residents here. Even when the cost of living outpaces social security checks and bohemian artists are outnumbered by billionaires, small interventions can keep a community diverse, intact and vibrant.
The next draft of the Homeless Action Plan will show which path this Council chooses.