Brown’s camping ordinance remains in limbo after council rejects then revives the controversial Prop 1 replacement

In the same marathon session, the Spokane City Council voted down Mayor Lisa Brown’s replacement to voter-approved homeless camping restrictions – and resurrected them.

The reversal came around midnight Monday evening about 90 minutes after council voted down the proposal. The controversial camping ordinance remains undecided and will go to another vote June 30.

“Until we really put some real good faith effort between property owners and providers, I think we will be having this conversation over and over again without any progress,” said City Council President Betsy Wilkerson.

The plan is aimed at replacing voter-approved camping restrictions overturned by the state Supreme Court. But the measure faced intense pushback from members of the public who saw it as lax in comparison to the strict camping prohibition of Prop 1.

In 2023, voters passed a law that outlawed camping within 1,000 feet of schools, parks or playgrounds. But the Washington State Supreme Court overturned the popular ballot box item that earned 75% approval by voters fed up with open drug use on city streets and homeless camps in public spaces.

Brown’s replacement would allow those illegally camping on public property up to seven days’ notice ahead of any enforcement action. If the encampment was deemed an immediate risk to the public action could be taken before the seven days ended. During that time, the city’s homeless outreach team and other service providers would have offered services to the camper and would not write them a ticket if they accepted the offer of help. The law also would not have been enforceable if the person left after the warning.

As council’s progressive majority sought to adopt Brown’s plan Monday night, they faced strong headwinds from a vocal crowd of approximately a hundred residents – most of whom opposed the proposal. After more than two hours of public testimony, the camping ordinance failed with council President Betsy Wilkerson and Lili Navarrete joining the body’s two conservative members.

Wilkerson had expressed her concerns with the ordinance earlier in the day and had voted to hold the legislation until a later council meeting. In comments before the initial vote, Wilkerson said there needed to be more conversation and compromise between stakeholders before council takes action.

Navarrete had not expressed an opinion on the camping ordinance publicly before voting it down.

The council considered other legislation for the next hour-and-a-half before Navarrete called for the camping ordinance to be reconsidered. She also offered an amendment changing the seven -day notice to a three-day warning.

Other than making her motions, Navarrete did not provide any commentary on her change of heart or the reasoning behind her amendment. She did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Navarrete told Councilman Zack Zappone of her intention to reconsider the camping ordinance during a five -minute recess of the seven-hour Monday night meeting, he said in an interview on Tuesday.

“Last night was an example of what governing looks like. It is complex and difficult, and that is what happens,” he said. “People are humans. They think of things in real time, and have new ideas, and that’s part of the process of offering new ideas late at night.”

Wilkerson said the changed ordinance appeared to be a good compromise.

“I heard from many business owners that seven days was too long of a time – that it would allow them to just camp around the city. Many had asked for three days as an effective amount of time,” she said.

Councilman Jonathan Bingle said bringing the measure back for a second vote in the same night was an “absolute travesty of governance.”

“This is not how we do it,” he said. “This is not how we represent the people by making sure that we tell them what they want to hear, then they go away, and then we do whatever we want.”

Councilman Michael Cathcart said he would “be open” to the proposed change but similarly did not want a second vote that Monday.

It was approximately midnight when the camping ordinance resurfaced and the majority of citizens who spoke out against the bill had gone home. In public testimony, those who remained in the chamber were universally opposed.

“I really feel like I’ve been slapped across the face. I walked out of the meeting. I got in my car. I thought City Council was listening to people,” said resident Robin Burkhart. “I continue to watch the meeting while I’m driving home, and I hear this nonsense go on and I’m really discouraged by it.”

Business leaders echoed a similar sentiment.

“We have emphasized how much transparency is something that your constituents value,” said Downtown Spokane Partnership CEO Emilie Cameron. “People who were here earlier, took time away from their business to testify, and now no longer have that opportunity.”

Others argued that giving only three days notice would not allow providers adequate time to maintain relationships with patients who are homeless.

“Reducing the timeline from seven days to three days before displacement gives outreach teams less time, not more. That is not engagement. That’s eviction,” said Angel Tomeo Sam, director of a local Indigenous domestic violence prevention program.

After the additional hour of testimony, Councilman Paul Dillion requested to table the revised camping ordinance until the body’s June 30 meeting. His motion was unanimously approved.

“We have to all get in a room and we have to sort this out. So that’s the goal. I think June 30 really does lock us in to a deadline,” he said. “This is frustrating. I do appreciate your patience. I hope that we can come into that conversation, bring the temperatures down a little bit, and come forward on a policy.”

In a prepared statement Mayor Lisa Brown said the deferral “does not change” her commitment to the plan.

“The status quo isn’t working – it’s just shifting people from one place to another rather than helping them find stability,” she said. “We need a citywide ordinance that effectively engages and navigates people to services and housing, while also including an enforcement mechanism to restrict unauthorized camping and obstruction of the public right-of-way.”