Oceanside approved a tune-up of its homelessness policies Wednesday to make it easier to remove encampments from public property, in response to a Supreme Court decision earlier this year and a spate of recent violence. Two homeless men were found fatally beaten over the weekend, one in the San Luis Rey riverbed and another along the railroad tracks near Oceanside Boulevard. A third person was stabbed multiple times Sept. 18 near the riverbed, but survived. No suspects have been arrested, and it’s unknown whether the incidents were related. Homeless camps are not safe for anybody, whether it’s the people living in the camps or anyone else in the community, Oceanside Councilmember Ryan Keim said Wednesday. “I don’t want to criminalize homelessness,” Keim said. “But we have a duty to our citizens to keep them safe …. people who walk on the sidewalks, take their kids to school, use the parks and go to the beach.” The goal is not to put anyone in jail, but to get anyone without shelter into programs and services that can help them improve their lives, he said. “If we have another encampment with 100 people, fentanyl overdoses and all that, we have to be able to clean that up,” Keim said. “As you have seen this week, it is not safe. Our homeless encampments are not safe for the people living in them.” The proposed ordinance would remove the city’s requirement to offer shelter space or a motel voucher and transportation to such facilities before enforcing a prohibition on camping in public places. It also would cut the required notice time from 48 hours to 24 hours before the removal of personal property from public places. The ordinance would take effect soon after a second approval by the Oceanside City Council and is the result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June. The court overturned a 2018 appeals court decision, Martin vs. City of Boise, that said the swift enforcement of a camping prohibition could be cruel and unusual punishment. The council voted 4-1 for the changes, with Councilmember Eric Joyce opposed. Joyce said tougher enforcement was the wrong approach to homelessness. “They end up going to the shadows, the same shadows where we just had two people murdered last week,” Joyce said. “I need my colleagues to realize that this is not the solution,” he said. “We can’t just act in a way that is going to create more harm, worsen the situation and make people harder to reach.” The city spends millions of dollars each year to address homelessness. It opened its first year-round homeless navigation center in 2023, and the shelter’s 50 beds are full. Among other efforts the city has separate transitional and permanent supportive housing programs and two homeless outreach teams, each with a police officer and social worker, who contact unsheltered individuals daily. Still, many people refuse the shelter, counseling, treatment programs and other services repeatedly offered to them. “This allows people to call police and see action taken,” said Councilmember Rick Robinson, adding that the changes give police the tools they need for enforcement. “We need to realize that the challenges of homelessness affect more than just the people on the street,” said Councilmember Peter Weiss. Police Capt. Scott Garrett said the changes will not affect the Police Department’s homeless outreach efforts. “We will continue to treat everyone with dignity and respect,” Garrett said. “Enforcement does not mean a person is going to jail. At most, a citation is issued.” Fines may be waived and warrants may be cleared for those who agree to accept services, he said, and in some cases people “may finally get the assistance they desperately need.” About a dozen residents addressed the council on the issue. One, frequent conservative speaker, Richard Newton, welcomed the changes and said he has “no respect” for the homeless. “They do not pay taxes and they burden the system,” Newton said. “I pay taxes, and I don’t even want to look at them. They are a blight on the city, and they burden every responsible citizen.” Others offered more tolerant views, but agreed that enforcement could be improved. And some opposed any change. “Homelessness is not a crime,” said Jason Coker, co-lead minister at Oceanside Sanctuary Church. “It’s a social problem in need of compassionate, dignified, long-term solutions.” Mayor Esther Sanchez initially made a motion to return the proposed ordinance back to the city staff to develop a more comprehensive approach. However, seeing a lack of support, she withdrew the motion. The City Council also voted 4-1, with Weiss opposed, to schedule a community workshop on a date to be determined to discuss a long-term, comprehensive approach to homelessness.