San Diego mayor to allow crews, law enforcement to clear encampments along freeways

San Diego mayor to allow crews, law enforcement to clear encampments along freeways

Tarps cover homeless tents and shelters on downtown streets during a rainy day. (File photo by Chris Stone) Following up on his demands in his State of the City address in January for the state to either clean up highway shoulders of homeless encampments or let the city handle it, Mayor Todd Gloria Tuesday announced an agreement with the California Department of Transportation that will let San Diego crews take on the job. The one-year pilot pro…

State Unlocks New Territory for San Diego’s Encampment Crackdown

When Jonathan Montanez, 37, sees yellow flashing lights and guys in orange shirts, he knows he must gather his stuff quickly.   “I surely don’t want to be out here, and I know my wife doesn’t want to be out here,” he says standing on a parched slice of land nestled by Interstate 5.   Montanez has been homeless for seven years and, for the last year, has been living on state property near freeways with his wife, Alyssa Gonzalez, 27, and their dog…

San Diego mayor, Caltrans agree to let city clean up homeless camps on freeways

One-year pilot program will allow city crews and law enforcement to enter five-mile stretch of freeways that run through Little Italy, downtown, Sherman Heights, East Village and Barrio Logan.

Agreement allows San Diego to clear homeless encampments along downtown freeways

An agreement with Caltrans will give City of San Diego crews access to clean up homeless encampments located along freeways in the downtown area, Mayor Todd Gloria’s office announced Tuesday.