Stallings Vows to Fight ‘Tent City’ for Homeless

City Councilwoman Valerie Stallings said Thursday that she intends to vote against an ordinance that would declare a homeless-shelter crisis in San Diego and to oppose a proposed “tent city” for Rose Canyon, an area she represents.

Stallings met with more than 200 worried homeowners in Villa Morena on Wednesday night and assured them of her support in fighting the proposed self-governing tent city for the homeless near Balboa Avenue and Morena Boulevard.

“I will oppose the (proposed) tent city at the (city-owned) Rose Canyon equipment-maintenance yard,” Stallings said, “and I will not vote for a tent city on any site.”

Stallings said she also intends to vote against declaring a shelter crisis, which the council will consider at its Oct. 5 meeting.

Chief Deputy City Atty. Hal Valderhaug said such a declaration requires five council votes for approval, and, if passed, would invoke a rarely used state ordinance that frees the city from much of its legal liability in setting up emergency homeless shelters.

Valderhaug said passage of the declaration would serve as forerunner to the city establishing tent cities or other forms of emergency shelter. Rose Canyon and the parking lot in front of the former Navy Hospital in Balboa Park are among several sites being considered.

Stallings said she had received hundreds of signatures on a petition opposing the proposed tent city in her district, as well as hundreds of phone calls and letters.

“They were very concerned,” she said of the 200-plus constituents at Wednesday night’s meeting. “When I gave them my reassurance, they felt a lot better, but I recognize too that there is a tremendous problem in the city regarding the homeless. So I asked them for their ideas. We, as a community, need to figure out what to do.”