Fresno’s anti-camping law has failed to get convictions, so leaders make changes
The Fresno City Council added new language Thursday to its anti-camping ordinance meant to increase the chances of a conviction in court under the law that allows police to arrest the unhoused.
The council approved the changes, 6-1, after City Attorney Andrew Janz recommended changes to delete the “sitting, lying or sleeping” language from the ordinance, leaving “camping” as the punishable offense. The changes come after the city has failed to successfully prosecute violators of the ordinance since it passed in August 2024.
In a subsequent paragraph, the amended ordinance says siting, lying and sleeping could also be considered camping.
“It is our opinion that it makes it even more defensible than the original ordinance that was passed before,” Janz said during the meeting.
The City Council last year passed a controversial anti-camping ordinance that allows the arrest of anyone living on the street who does not accept an offering of services from the police or outreach workers. City leaders have argued the law targets the behavior of people. Advocates for the homeless say it’s a weapon to target the unhoused who have no other place to go.
Councilmember Nick Richardson asked the council to hold off on a vote Thursday, saying the new language in the ordinance appeared to prevent any person in the city from sitting in a public park, lying in a warming center or standing on a sidewalk.
The council initially agreed to the delay, but later voted to bring the ordinance with new amendments back as Thursday’s meeting stretched into the evening. The council approved the new language with only Richardson dissenting, saying he “vehemently” opposed it.
Councilmember Mike Karbassi said he did not want to delay a vote on the issue and supported passing the ordinance with Janz’s recommendation.
“This is about behaviors, behaviors that limit the ability for others in our community to enjoy public spaces, and we’ve had a problem with that and this is our response to doing that,” he said. “Yes, we do have folks that are unhoused. This is not about being unhoused. This is about making sure we have access to public spaces.”
The new language would also allow the City Attorney’s Office to take a civil action against violators, which does not require a day in court.
At least three attempts by the city to hold violators of the ordinance accountable in Fresno County courts have failed. The exact number of people who have active cases was not immediately clear.
Last week, a Fresno-based civil rights attorney served Fresno with a lawsuit that argued the city’s ordinance was discriminatory because it targets the unhoused with arrests and malicious prosecution.
Attorney Kevin Little’s lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Eastern District of California and follows hundreds of arrests and citations for unhoused people who violated Fresno’s anti-camping law.
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 4:45 PM.
