SANTA CLARITA : City Crews Raze 3 Homeless Camps

Crews from the city of Santa Clarita on Tuesday cleared out three campsites occupied by homeless people, at least one of whom still used the makeshift shacks.

Citing health risks and complaints from nearby businesses and riders of the Metrolink train that goes by one of the sites, public works crews carried off wooden pallets used for walls and a roof, as well as sofas, mattresses and beer bottles, candles, a few jars of food and a sewing kit.

The camps were hidden in small canyons on the south side of Soledad Canyon Road, west of Bouquet Canyon Road.

“We found some very clear sanitary and safety issues out there,” said Vytautas Adomaitis, city senior code enforcement officer.

Garbage, flies and large rats that scurried into the brush when cleanup crews approached posed extreme health risks, Adomaitis said.

It is unclear, however, how many people lived in the camps and for how long. Only one person was there when the wrecking crew showed up Tuesday. It also is unclear what will happen to them now. Adomaitis said there are no shelters for the homeless in the Santa Clarita Valley.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I think they’re just going to have to find another place.”