The Encinitas City Council unanimously approved an agreement Wednesday enabling the city to send a dozen unhoused residents to a homeless shelter in National City — despite the concerns of a National City councilmember.
Encinitas’ agreement is with the San Diego Rescue Mission, a Christian, faith-based homelessness services nonprofit. Under the agreement, Encinitas will pay up to $380,000 per year to reserve twelve beds at the Rescue Mission’s South County Lighthouse shelter.
Encinitas councilmembers voted for the agreement over the objections of National City Councilmember Jose Rodriguez, who attended Wednesday’s City Council meeting to speak against it. Encinitas Mayor Bruce Ehler ordered Rodriguez removed from the room after he tried to respond during the council’s discussion.
During the meeting, Rodriguez pointed out that the median household income in Encinitas — one of the county’s wealthy Northern beach towns — is more than twice that of National City. He accused Encinitas leaders of not doing their part to address the county’s homelessness crisis.
“Please do your fair share before asking National City to do more of ours,” Rodriguez told the City Council Tuesday.
Encinitas councilmembers defended the agreement, arguing it was a temporary measure while the Rescue Mission works to open new shelter space in North County. Encinitas Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara accused Rodriguez — who is currently running for National City mayor — of using the agreement as a political stunt.
“Don't say you're here to advocate for people when you're here to campaign,” O’Hara said. “It’s insulting.”
When Rodriguez stood up to respond and refused to leave the podium, Ehler ordered a sheriff’s deputy to remove him from the Council chambers.
In a statement Thursday, Rodriguez said Ehler had used law enforcement to shut down his concerns instead of listening.
The dispute between Encinitas and National City officials is the latest tension point in the ongoing debate over regional homelessness responsibility. Across San Diego County, cities are weighing how to balance contributing to regional partnerships and helping their own unhoused communities.
Last year, Oceanside cut ties with the Rescue Mission to focus on serving their own unhoused residents. When Chula Vista agreed to provide services to Imperial Beach this summer, one councilmember criticized taking on what he called “the homelessness responsibilities of other cities.”
Until this summer, Encinitas was the joint operator of a homeless shelter in Vista, with the shelter space divided between the two cities. But in August, Vista officials indicated they wanted to take over the shelter entirely, leading Encinitas to look to the South Bay for additional space.
From the beginning, Rescue Mission executives said they had not agreed to reserve any space at the South County Lighthouse for National City residents — although they did say the shelter would serve as a regional hub for the South Bay at large.
Still, the debate carries a lot of weight for Rodriguez.
The small, working-class city has been more than willing to take on efforts to address homelessness, he said. That includes the South County Lighthouse, which city officials approved despite significant opposition from residents.
“This strikes a chord within National City,” Rodriguez told KPBS last month, ahead of this week’s meeting. “We get the short end of the stick all the time.”
National City, a majority Latino and Asian-community, is already home to a much larger unhoused community.
The two cities are roughly the same size, with around 60,000 residents. But in January, National City had around 149 residents living on the street according to the “Point-in-Time Count,” the regional homelessness census — up slightly from the previous year.
Meanwhile, Encinitas had around 64 residents living on the street, down about a third from 2025. Encinitas is 77% white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
On Wednesday, some Encinitas councilmembers acknowledged that it wasn’t ideal to move unhoused people farther from their families and support networks. They emphasized that the agreement would only last until the Rescue Mission is able to open a new North County shelter.
Encinitas Councilmember Joy Lyndes agreed that there needed to be more communication between the two cities. Lyndes asked the city manager to establish a more formal communication with National City staff.
“We do need to hear what your concerns are,” Lyndes said. “We do need to have that dialogue.”
