On Tuesday night, the Davis City Council tackled one of the city’s most pressing challenges: homelessness. The council held a wide-ranging discussion to signal their top priorities for addressing homelessness, improving downtown safety, and exploring new programs aimed at better connecting the city’s unhoused residents to services.
While no final decisions were made, the council reached a clear consensus on several key areas: hiring a dedicated downtown police officer, contracting out encampment clean-up services, expanding year-round shelter beds, and cautiously moving forward with a pilot sanctioned parking program.
One of the most ambitious new proposals—the launch of a city-run Community Navigator Program—also drew strong support but will undergo further development.
Mayor Bapu Vaitla opened the discussion by framing the task: “What staff needs at this point is a sense of where council feels confident prioritizing. We’re not approving specific dollar amounts tonight, but giving direction as we head into the budget process.”
Councilmember Gloria Partida explained that, while it was helpful to see rough cost estimates, the conversation was really about values and priorities.
“For me, the downtown officer is definitely a priority. We need that presence downtown—not just for the unhoused issue but for the broader community,” Partida said.
Councilmember Partida also backed contracting encampment cleanup services, noting, “Right now, our city staff is doing this, and it’s costing us more. This could actually be a savings.”
However, she urged holding off on changes to respite center hours until the council has a fuller discussion, and raised questions about the city’s ongoing partnership with the Downtown Streets Team. “Are we using them to keep downtown clean, or is it really about outreach? If it’s cleaning, should we be looking at other options?”
Councilmember Partida also stressed the need for better coordination among existing outreach programs, including Turning Point, Davis Community Meals, and the Downtown Streets Team.
Councilmember Josh Chapman echoed the support for contracting encampment clean-up services and hiring a downtown beat officer.
“It’s not just freeing up code enforcement staff—it’s the mental toll of doing work they’re not trained for,” Chapman said of encampment cleanups. “This work is tough, and it leads to burnout.”
Chapman shared his personal experience working with police-run community programs in Washington, D.C., emphasizing the value of relationship building. “This officer isn’t going to eliminate every downtown issue, but they will help create relationships, engage businesses, and be a consistent presence.”
On the Downtown Streets Team, Chapman agreed that the program’s costs warrant a review. “We need to ask, what are we getting for this investment? Is this the right tool for keeping downtown clean, or should we open it up for others to bid?”
Chapman also flagged the importance of community outreach if the city moves forward with a sanctioned parking program. “The neighbors need to be part of this conversation. They shouldn’t wake up to find a parking program in their backyard without any notice.”
Mayor Vaitla devoted much of his time to advocating for a Community Navigator Program—city-trained volunteers who build relationships with unhoused residents and connect them to services.
“There’s no policy or budget allocation I believe in more,” Vaitla said passionately. “The scientific evidence is undeniable—navigators change lives, communities, and cities.”
Vaitla argued that a well-run navigator program would not only help the unhoused but also rebuild trust in local government. “These navigators become ambassadors of the city, showing people what’s working, what’s not, and how we can do better.”
He proposed asking the Social Services Commission to work with city staff and community groups to draft a concept for the program. “Let’s map the landscape, identify gaps, avoid duplication, and ensure coordination.”
Vice Mayor Donna Neville also emphasized the need to expand shelter beds at Paul’s Place to year-round. “That’s a really good use of money. Housing is stability, and this is a first step toward that.”
She backed contracting out encampment clean-up, adding that she had identified possible grant funding to support the effort. On the Downtown Streets Team, she aligned with others in calling for a deeper review before reauthorizing funding.
Neville also supported the navigator concept but stressed the need for careful design. “We need to coordinate this well and make sure training is universal across every program—whether it’s safe parking, navigators, or other outreach.”
On the sanctioned parking pilot, she suggested proceeding but requiring a final report back to the council before issuing any permits to ensure safety requirements are met.
Councilmember Linda Deos strongly backed expanding shelter beds, calling housing the key solution to homelessness. “It’s about housing, housing, housing. Wraparound services come next, but this is the first step.”
Deos supported contracting encampment cleanup, hiring the beat officer, and exploring changes to respite center hours. But she was more cautious about the Community Navigator program.
“I’m willing to explore it, but it’s lower on my priority list,” Deos said. “We already have Heart of Davis and others doing similar work. I’m not sure yet that the city needs to run its own program.”
Like others, she stressed the importance of robust outreach before moving forward with the parking program. “We need to knock on doors or send mailers. People deserve to know what’s happening in their neighborhood.”
City Manager Mike Webb summarized the consensus emerging from the discussion:
- Strong support for the downtown officer, encampment cleanup, year-round shelter beds, and exploring the parking program with safeguards.
- Calls for deeper analysis of the Downtown Streets Team and respite center hours.
- Agreement to move forward with planning the Community Navigator Program, but with more details needed.
Police Chief Todd Henry clarified that the city would work closely with the church and Heart of Davis on safety plans and permitting for the parking program. He also welcomed the opportunity to contract out encampment clean-up.
In the end, the council voted unanimously to direct the Social Services Commission to develop a concept plan for the Community Navigator Program, working closely with outreach organizations and reporting back to the council.
The council also asked staff to move forward with an RFP (Request for Proposals) for contracted encampment cleanup and begin planning for the downtown officer hire as part of the upcoming budget.
The conversation highlighted the complexity of addressing homelessness and balancing community needs, compassion, and fiscal responsibility.
Mayor Vaitla closed by reflecting on the challenge ahead. “We can’t solve this overnight, but these are steps that move us forward. It’s about building relationships, connecting people to services, and making sure we support both our unhoused residents and the broader community.”
The next phase will play out as budget discussions begin, with the council set to make final funding decisions in the coming months.
I sent this to the Council during the meeting:
Council-members,
I did note in my comment that the Beat Cop and Encampment Cleanup were really community safety (& environmental cleanup) and I spoke in favor of those. I did *not* speak against any of the homeless services.
However, those in favor of homeless services seemed to turn it into an *us vs. them*, putting down the public safety aspect, calling these items ‘criminalizing homelessness’, and even gaslighting those of us who have experienced confrontations with annoying and dangerous individuals as if these weren’t real and stating downtown is ‘safe’.
After tonight’s meeting, I am uncomfortable with the public-safety/environmental-cleanup issues being lumped in with homeless services. These are different issues, and pitting the issues and even members of the community against each other on spending priorities by this lumping these was not constructive. With some issue, the rhetoric was unnecessary as the nature of the issue was not fully understood by commenters.
In the future, I’d suggest separating public-safety/environmental-cleanup issues and homeless services issues.
Alan