- “Even though Torrance is virtually free of any encampments thanks to the policy and outreach we have in place, it is still evident that we have a large number of vagrants that wander around our community and many are showing signs of drug addiction and/or mental health issues.” – Councilmember Aurelio Mattucci
By Vanguard Staff
In a sign of the times after the Grants Pass decision, Torrance is taking the next step toward criminalizing homelessness by threatening to arrest people who refuse shelter.
The Torrance City Council this week directed staff to draft an ordinance that would make it illegal for homeless people to refuse shelter, while also considering the creation of military-style camps with tents to expand temporary housing, according to a report by the Daily Breeze.
The request was introduced by Councilmember Aurelio Mattucci, who said he was inspired by San Jose’s “Responsibility to Shelter Initiative,” which requires the arrest of an unhoused individual who refuses shelter three times.
“Even though Torrance is virtually free of any encampments thanks to the policy and outreach we have in place, it is still evident that we have a large number of vagrants that wander around our community and many are showing signs of drug addiction and/or mental health issues,” Mattucci said during the Sept. 9 council meeting. “These are not your typical individuals who may have lost their job six months ago and are finding themselves in hard times. These are individuals who are chronically homeless and I would like to refer to them as chronically helpless. Chronically helpless because of the fact that they are often refusing help even though they desperately need it.”
According to the 2025 Los Angeles County point-in-time count, Torrance had 355 unhoused people. Of those, 171 were in shelters, 50 were unsheltered and 134 were living in cars or tents. By comparison, Pasadena, a city of similar size, had 581 unhoused individuals, with 342 unsheltered.
Under the proposed ordinance, any person who refuses shelter three times during an 18-month period would face arrest.
Critics of the San Jose measure, however, have said the policy further criminalizes homelessness, ignores issues with shelter accessibility and conditions, and fails to provide appropriate resources for individuals with physical or mental illnesses.
“My goal is not to criminalize homelessness,” Mattucci said. “My goal is to ensure that these individuals are taken off our streets and put on the right path to either recover or placed in long-term facilities and, in some cases, for the rest of their lives.”
San Jose’s initiative specifies that individuals are not arrested for being homeless but for trespassing. Torrance’s current policy gives officers discretion to cite or arrest a homeless individual.
Along with arrests, Mattucci proposed creating additional shelter capacity through “low-cost military-style tents with cots, bathrooms and basic services.”
“If these are good enough for our soldiers,” Mattucci wrote in a Facebook post, “they are good enough for the homeless.”
Some residents objected.
“Homeless folks exist on a much wider spectrum and, more than often, are unfortunately in the thralls of addiction, disease, and intense mental illness,” Charlie Giordano said in response to Mattucci’s post. “The accommodation and services required by people on the streets are likely to be quite different than our troops.”
Mattucci later issued a written statement emphasizing that his proposal was not meant to create internment camps. “My intent,” he said, is to “expand our current capacity of helping individuals experiencing homelessness to transition off the streets. If that means we have temporary tent-style accommodations available, that will be one of the options up for consideration.”
The proposal comes as state and regional leaders continue to push for permanent and transitional housing, which has often been met with local resistance. Torrance previously opposed a Project Homekey+ transitional housing site at the Extended Stay America Hotel on Torrance Boulevard. The project, proposed by the nonprofit Weingart Center, was withdrawn in August after concerns were raised about its location near the Civic Center and local businesses.
“While this proposal will not move forward, the city remains committed to addressing homelessness with compassion and responsibility,” the city said in a statement. “Future initiatives will be thoughtfully located, appropriately scaled and developed in collaboration with the community.”
Mattucci said the proposed military-style tent shelters would be located in industrial areas away from homes and businesses.
Torrance already operates a tiny home village launched in 2022 with 40 units. Each unit includes air conditioning, and residents share bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities. They also receive three free meals a day, job assistance and housing support.
If approved, the ordinance would also establish an advocacy group to coordinate with federal, state and county partners on homelessness solutions.
“Normal everyday people are being negatively affected by governments and actions,” Mattucci said. “People are being attacked and in some extreme cases killed by people who should not be on the streets — people who need to either be in jail, treatment or, at the very least, not in Torrance.”
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