City of San Rafael
March 22, 2023
Campsites at Albert Park: Temporary Restraining Order Lifted by the District Court
On March 20th, Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, U.S. District Court judge dissolved the Temporary Restraining Order that had prevented the City from clearing campsites at Albert Park on March 13th. The court had issued the TRO due to last week’s severe weather. In lifting the TRO, the judge found that the “the urgency upon which the original order was issued has passed.”
The City has re-noticed the campsites to be cleared and vacated no later than 7 a.m. on Friday, March 24th. With this final notice, the occupants will have received over 4 weeks of notice and time to vacate the park. The City estimates that 15 campsites remain and expects to have them cleared by this Friday. Over the past month, the City and its service providers have been performing daily outreach to the campers to connect them with available shelter and temporary storage options for their personal belongings.
Clearing the campsites from Albert Park is an important step to address the adverse health and safety, and nuisance conditions caused by campsites in the Park, and to reopen these spaces to public uses. The City looks forward to the upcoming season of community and recreation events at Albert Park. The City also continues to provide case management and other services to people experiencing homelessness to assist them on their path to housing.