Kenneth Rivere, 55, stores the care packages given to him by the Continuum of Care staffers conducting a Point-in-Time Count in Jackson, Miss., Madison, Jan. 27, 2025. Rivere, a veteran, said this is the first time he's been homeless. A PIT Count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness in January.
San Diego, California – San Diego residents living near a designated Safe Sleeping site for unhoused individuals are voicing growing frustration over what they describe as worsening conditions just steps from their homes and tourist landmarks. Piles of trash, human waste, and sprawling encampments have sparked outrage, particularly in the neighborhoods surrounding the O Lot Safe Sleeping site near Balboa Park.
The fenced and managed sleeping site, located off Pershing Drive and adjacent to the I-5 freeway on Caltrans property, was intended to provide a safer and more organized environment for unhoused individuals. But residents say it has unintentionally contributed to a buildup of unregulated encampments just outside its borders.
“It’s like a third-world country,” said one local woman. “I’ve seen fires there. There’s so much trash, and I know a lot of it is human waste. It’s terrible.”
While the Safe Sleeping site itself is maintained by the city, nearby areas remain unmanaged and visibly overwhelmed. Residents complain that the proximity of the unmanaged encampments sends the wrong message, especially given the site’s location along a busy thoroughfare leading to Balboa Park and downtown San Diego.
“You look to the right and left, you see two tent cities, and you see trash and encampments everywhere,” the viewer added. “This is the heart of San Diego, and that’s what people get to look at when they’re going to these tourist areas.”
A major complication is jurisdiction. Because the land surrounding the Safe Sleeping site belongs to Caltrans—the state agency responsible for California’s transportation infrastructure—the City of San Diego has limited authority to clean or police the area. Caltrans said that it is aware of the situation and has placed the area on its cleanup schedule, though no timeline was provided.
Efforts to address the disconnect between state and city responsibilities are underway at the legislative level. State Senator Catherine Blakespear has introduced SB 569, a bill that aims to streamline collaboration between Caltrans and local governments. The legislation would allow Caltrans to formally delegate cleanup duties to cities and establish a reimbursement process to offset associated costs.
“The question is why is this happening? Why are we falling down in this way?” Blakespear said. “My bill is aimed directly at that place where we’re falling down, to say cities and the state, get your acts together, link arms, and solve this problem.”
SB 569 has passed the Transportation Committee and is expected to reach the State Senate floor for a vote in June. Meanwhile, residents near the O Lot site say they’re tired of waiting for action.
“If they’re going to put that there,” one neighbor asked, “can they at least manage the surrounding areas?”
