Following up on his demands in his State of the City address in January for the state to either clean up highway shoulders of homeless encampments or let the city handle it, Mayor Todd Gloria Tuesday announced an agreement with the California Department of Transportation that will let San Diego crews take on the job.
The one-year pilot program will allow city crews and law enforcement to enter Caltrans land along a five-mile stretch of state freeways that run through Little Italy, Downtown, Sherman Heights, East Village, and Barrio Logan to clear “unsafe and unsanitary homeless encampments,” a city statement reads.
“The homeless encampments along our freeways are not only unsightly, but they are unsafe. After months of negotiations, I am excited to see this innovative partnership come to fruition,” Gloria said. “
This agreement will allow the city to have access to Caltrans property in and around downtown to clean up encampments and assist those living there get into a better situation.
“I’d like to thank Governor Newsom and Caltrans for their partnership in making this agreement possible. It’s my hope that San Diego can become a model for the rest of the state.”
In his 2025 State of the City address, Gloria said it was time for the city to get a fair deal from entities such as the county and Caltrans when it comes to homelessness. He said the city has for far too long shouldered the burden of homeless residents suffering from substance abuse and/or mental health issues.
“It’s long past time for all the cities in this county to do their part and not simply rely on you, the taxpayers of this city, to continue to foot the bill,” he said. “My fellow San Diegans, it is my hope that, anytime you see a person on the street suffering from extreme mental illness or addiction, you think of the county of San Diego and ask them: When will they step up to provide the services needed to end this crisis?”
According to the mayor, the city on average has received 300 calls a month about homeless encampments on state-owned land near highways, leaving city officials hands’ tied. He demanded Caltrans either take action or give the city authority to do so itself.
The agreement announced Tuesday allows San Diego’s outreach workers to go onto the state property to offer available shelter and housing resources to people in encampments and authorizes the city to the clear trash and debris.
“By cutting red tape and letting local cities use their processes, we can speed up our response to homeless encampments and more quickly move unsheltered people to safer places where they can get the support they need,” said Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear, D-Encinitas.
“Encampments along roadsides are dangerous and destructive — they are unsafe for people living there and for motorists, and they create fire risk, trash and often damage to transportation infrastructure.
“This agreement is an important step as we work to create more urgency, and greater inter-government coordination, to address the unsheltered street homelessness crisis.”
The pilot program is designed to adhere to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s model encampment ordinance to “expedite the removal of encampments throughout California.”
“The San Diego Padres applaud the city of San Diego and Caltrans for establishing this agreement to address the ongoing challenges along our freeways,” a statement from the team read. “Petco Park welcomes millions of guests each year for Padres games and other events, and the safety of our guests and all San Diegans is a priority for the Padres.
“This agreement is a meaningful step toward improving the Caltrans property that surrounds the Ballpark District.”
Gloria notes the agreement will also free up Caltrans crews to conduct other work throughout the city and region. The state will reimburse San Diego for up to $400,000 of its costs for the pilot program. The city — although dealing with a tight budget — will use its own funding as well.
“As San Diegans, we can agree that we want people to be safe, housed and not living along state highways,” said Caltrans District 11 Director Ann Fox.
“The city of San Diego, and other cities throughout San Diego County, have been great partners in the work Caltrans does every day to address encampments along state highways. This agreement is an example of the close work Caltrans does with cities to remove encampments and support local partners in getting people access to shelters and assistance.”
The pilot covers the following spans of state right-of-way in and around downtown:
Interstate 5 from the Coronado Bridge to Laurel Street (3.5 miles); State Route 163 from Ash Street to I-5 (0.4 miles); and SR 94 from 17th Street to 30th Street (1.1 miles).The move is the latest in Gloria’s campaign to reduce the levels of homelessness in the city. According to a release Monday night to his supporters, the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Downtown San Diego has dropped nearly 65% since its peak in 2023 – from 2,104 people in May 2023 to 756 in June 2025.
This is partly to do with the Gloria administration and the San Diego City Council’s affirmative actions, such as expanding safe sleeping programs and increasing the number of shelter beds available. It also is in part due to more controversial moves such as the Unsafe Camping Ordinance, banning rough sleeping altogether on wide swathes of city land – moving unsheltered people into county land or other municipalities.
Even so, the number of people experiencing homelessness has declined both in the city and countywide.
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