> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Berkeley to consider ban on encampments near preschools - URL: https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/10/07/community/berkeley-encampments-ban-preschools/ - Published: 2026-10-07T22:48:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-07T23:40:16.000Z - Description: Some residents are calling for an outright camping ban. The city says it could not enforce it. - Author: Emilie Raguso - Tags: Community, Homeless encampments, Berkeley Homeless Union, City Council, Northwest Berkeley, #articles Berkeley leaders may restrict homeless encampments near preschools following neighborhood outcry over new tents and disruptions on Camelia Street. Local concerns have spiked in recent weeks after the breakup of the [Harrison Street encampment](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/harrison-street-corridor/) pushed its residents elsewhere in the city. Some of those tents have popped up at Ninth and Camelia streets, near two preschools and a Berkeley school bus stop. There has also been discussion about the possibility of more tents near a large preschool down the road. About 60 local residents, including many parents of small children, have been working together to ask the city not to let a large new encampment take root in their neighborhood, particularly around vulnerable kids. Some have called for an outright camping ban and said the city must do more to limit [homeless encampments in Berkeley](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/homeless-encampments/). In response, three Berkeley council members — Rashi Kesarwani, Brent Blackaby and Terry Taplin — have proposed a [600-foot buffer zone](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XgZgTMMvMhTWWXbrBhHgocfK1cGmXM-A/view?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) that would prohibit homeless campsites near preschools and in-home daycare facilities to "safeguard the health and welfare of young children." Tent camping and sleeping on sidewalks are already prohibited in residential areas, although vehicle camping is governed separately by state law. As it stands, the city is allowed to remove tents deemed fire hazards, health hazards, public nuisances and street obstructions. But the preschool buffer zone would expand the policy. The item could come before the [Berkeley City Council](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-city-council/) by the end of the month. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/2026/10/BI6A5070.jpg) Mayor Adena Ishii and City Manager Paul Buddenhagen at a community meeting Tuesday night about concerns around homelessness in northwest Berkeley. **Emilie Raguso/TBS* This week, [Mayor Adena Ishii](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/adena-ishii/) and City Manager [Paul Buddenhagen](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/05/24/berkeley-city-council/paul-buddenhagen-berkeley-city-manager/) held two large meetings, one for preschool parents and one for the broader community, to hear concerns and answer questions. "We don't feel like we're doing enough," Ishii told the crowd. "There's more that we're trying to do." In addition to the possible buffer zone, the mayor said the city is looking for "alternative housing sites" for a new [sanctioned encampment](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/04/05/community/berkeley-may-renew-push-sanctioned-homeless-camp/), along with the money to run it. Buddenhagen said the city will tour two possible sites in the coming weeks. He did not identify the locations. But he said a similar effort in Berkeley, on Grayson Street, where people had been able to set up tents and park RVs, had cost about $1 million a year. Buddenhagen also pledged to notify neighbors and businesses going forward if there is a proposal for a new tent nearby. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3052.jpg) It started with a single tent on Camelia Street. Neighbors say the situation is already deteriorating. [**Scanner Insider*](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/support/#become-a-scanner-insider-by-sharing-tips) The broader context is ongoing litigation in federal court over how and when Berkeley can clear certain campsites, particularly if their occupants have made [ADA claims against the city for disability accommodations](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/08/15/community/berkeley-harrison-homeless-camp-tent-survey/). As part of that process, a federal judge has said Berkeley must consider new tent sites proposed by Berkeley Homeless Union, the plaintiff in the case, and allow them as long as they meet certain criteria. That process, however, hasn't gone smoothly, with both sides raising complaints. At this point, only one tent site has been approved, at Ninth and Camelia streets, according to court papers. This week, the city said the federal judge makes the call about where plaintiffs can camp. " When the judge makes those decisions, then people are allowed to be there," Buddenhagen said. " It's not illegal to be homeless." (The city has [appealed the judge's ruling](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Df1WvpkJOGqJEO1Ai8W5ZFr6HcpY2pyx/view?usp=sharing&ref=berkeleyscanner.com) to the Ninth Circuit. To date, there has been no decision.) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/2026/10/BI6A5069-1.jpg) Mayor Adena Ishii and City Manager Paul Buddenhagen at a community meeting Tuesday night about concerns around homelessness in northwest Berkeley. **Emilie Raguso/TBS* Neighbors say the problem goes beyond a single tent and that the situation is rapidly deteriorating. There is now a second tent, along with unattended property across the street. Feces has become a regular occurrence in an area where children play. A nearby school has reported a rat and flea infestation for the first time in 50 years. Concerns extend beyond preschools, with local businesses also reporting problems, including trash and vandalism. On Tuesday night, about 90 people attended a community meeting at Longfellow Middle School. All but a handful were there to demand swift action and more input. One man said Berkeley should have done more to oppose the Camelia Street location and explain to the judge why it was not viable. He and others said that, even if it was up to the court to say where tents can go, the city could have given more evidence, involved neighbors and made a stronger case. Some also questioned why the city hadn't done more to help identify locations that might have fewer impacts. They said [northwest Berkeley](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/northwest-berkeley/) had borne the brunt for too long. Residents also expressed frustration about the amount of money the city spends on homelessness while neighborhood problems persist. " We need to ban camping. We need to ban sleeping in cars. We need to ban RVs," said one local resident, whose remarks were met with applause and cheers of approval. "Other cities have done this." " If the cities of Albany and El Cerrito can have … a camping ban, why can't the city of Berkeley? And if their streets are clean, why can't we?" another man asked. ## "You would have your police force arresting people" Ishii and Buddenhagen said the city doesn't have the resources or staff to enforce a broad camping ban in Berkeley. " Even if something like that was passed, it's not that the city would be able to go and be constantly cleaning up or telling people to move along," the mayor said. "We don't have enough people. That's what I'm saying: Capacity." Buddenhagen said Ishii was right, and went further. "The work would be very difficult. You would have your police force arresting people. It would be a very challenging set of circumstances," he said, adding: "Of course, it is a policy choice that could be made." "It would put the city in control," one of the men who suggested a ban replied. " What I'm hearing from you is, we're working with what we have, which is one hand tied behind our back, three people in an office, I'm sure hours and hours and hours and hours feeling like you're slamming your head against the wall," another local resident said. "This is not just an issue. It's not just a crisis. This is an emergency. And it needs to be treated as such." Officials said Berkeley's more compassionate, housing-first approach had been working to [reduce the number of unsheltered residents](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/05/28/community/berkeley-ohlone-park-homeless-camp-closure-planned/) beyond what other local cities had seen. They also said Berkeley had worked to find outside grants to help pay for local housing programs and services, and would continue those efforts, including lobbying Alameda County for [Measure W funds](https://www.achcd.org/measure-w-home-together-fund/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com). Ishii said criminalizing homelessness would not solve the problem, and instead create a revolving door that would leave people more vulnerable. " It's just important that folks understand the repercussions of those policy decisions," she said. One speaker asked if Berkeley could tighten up its laws to limit camping without requiring arrests. She said other nearby cities had crafted stronger encampment policies and responded better to ADA claims. "What have you learned?" she asked. " Can't we do something?" ## " What is the plan when a dog goes after a child?" Throughout the meeting, speakers described blocked sidewalks, garbage, off-leash dogs, threatening encounters, public nudity, theft and racial harassment. One father said a screaming man had approached his wife and young daughters with a hand down his pants Tuesday morning. Police responded, but the man was back in the street yelling after officers left. Another resident shared how a tent had appeared in front of his house but the city hadn't removed it — even though it was blocking sidewalk access. Community members said they didn't want the city to wait to act until it was too late. "I was skateboarding past the encampment and an off-leash pit bull chased me. I’m an adult and it scared me," one man said. "Now picture a 3-year-old on a scooter." " What is the plan when a dog goes after a child?" he asked. Officials urged residents to report incidents by [calling 311](https://berkeleyca.qscend.com/311/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com), the police non-emergency line (510-981-5900) or 911, as the situation required. Buddenhagen said the city prioritizes its responses based on health and safety risks, addressing the most dangerous sites first. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/2026/10/BI6A5085.jpg) Yesica Prado, one of the plaintiffs in the Berkeley Homeless Union case. **Emilie Raguso/TBS* While most attendees called for more action and enforcement, several speakers — members of [Where Do We Go? Berkeley](https://www.wdwg.org/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com), [Berkeley Homeless Union](https://www.berkeleyhomelessunion.org/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) and [Berkeley Copwatch](https://www.berkeleycopwatch.org/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) — urged a different approach. "If this neighborhood wants something different, then I think this neighborhood should be willing to invest in the solution," said one local advocate. "Create a neighborhood tax, put that money directly towards housing, shelter, transportation and services. Give people an actual place to go. We cannot demand that people disappear and then refuse to pay for any real solution." " Where is the empathy and where is the courtesy?" another woman asked. "We need more of that." ## Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner Authoritative public safety and politics news coverage in Berkeley, CA Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.