Nearly three dozen tons of hazardous garbage has been cleared from an Oxnard homeless encampment Thursday after local residents expressed alarm.
The waste-riddled, lawless tent encampment has seen several drug overdoses and officials found weapons, needles, and drug paraphernalia onsite.
Authorities also arrested 37 people for a variety of offenses ranging from drug possession, trespassing, and illegal storage of property in public areas. Some also had outstanding warrants.
“The Oxnard Police Department’s Neighborhood Policing Team (NPT), in collaboration with the Homeless Liaison Unit (HLO) and Union Pacific Railroad Police (UPPD), conducted a directed enforcement operation along the railroad tracks in the E. Fifth Street corridor,” the Oxnard Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.
“The operation was initiated in response to community concerns, recent fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses, ongoing trespassing on railroad property, and the illegal storage of personal property along the train tracks,” they added.
Photos at scene showed assorted garbage, furniture and tents piled near Union Pacific railroad track. The garbage and materials took 11 truckloads to clear. Officials also found a large butcher knife and several needles.
“Directed enforcement operations will continue throughout the City of Oxnard to address quality-of-life concerns and enhance public safety,” Oxnard PD concluded.
Facebook commenters thanked authorities for cleaning up the encampment.
“Thank you for cleaning up this unsafe and unsightly area. Fifth Street is one of the main entrances to the city – these camps are not a good, welcoming look for tourists coming into the area,” one person said.
“Thank you to all those that put in the work in the time and the unsanitary situation,” another noted.
California has a reputation for its considerable homeless population, and consistently ranks among the top states with the highest homeless population. Rising prices and premium housing prices in the Golden State have contributed further to homeless crisis.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has insisted that the state has made progress with its homeless population, which dropped 9% between 2024 and 2025.
“This is a disgrace, what’s happening in California for decades and decades,” Newsom said in a recent interview with the San Francisco Standard, but “we are seeing significant declines in some of the big cities in terms of encampments. We’re seeing declines in overall homelessness.”
Oxnard is a coastal city about 54 miles west of Los Angeles.
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