San Jose mayor pushing to make Guadalupe River Trail a no-encampment zone

San Jose's Mayor Matt Mahan is calling for a new city policy that will clear and prevent homeless encampments in order to preserve a trail for public use. Our Kelsey Thornton reports. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is calling on the city to make the Guadalupe River Trail a no-encampment zone. Last fall, the city spent $2 million of state encampment resolution funds to relocate people living along the trail into interim housing and reclaim the space for public use. But the mayor says to make sure another encampment doesn't sprout up in the area, the city needs to take preemptive action. The mayor, with the support of two city council members, is introducing a memo that would divert existing resources to keep the Guadalupe River Trail clear. Supporters of the policy say it would not only keep the trail accessible and safe for the public, but it would also help revitalize the natural environment along the river. I think it's important to realize that it only took a few weeks for our environment to come back, for the park to come back. And having a policy like a no return zone allows the river to regenerate itself so that everyone can come back and see and experience this wild river that we have through our urban core. The mayor says he believes this type of policy is humane and could be used as a template for other cities looking to clear out their own encampments. And we reached out to both the Coalition for the Unhoused of Silicon Valley and the Coalition on Homelessness for their response. We have not heard back.