Enforcing new laws a question of priorities
The city council tonight will consider passing two laws designed to move the homeless population out of the downtown area.
Tough restrictions could be placed on groups who distribute food to the needy in public parks as a way to clear downtown of transients. The proposed ordinance says any group that hands out food must have a permit issued by the Los Angeles County Health Department and be authorized by the city before organizing food lines.
The other proposed law would make it illegal for any person to sit or lie down in a building’s entrance between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. But the ordinance only covers buildings in downtown, which means the area bounded by and including the east side of Ocean Avenue, the north side of Wilshire Boulevard, the east side of Lincoln Boulevard and the south side of Pico Boulevard.
Some officials believe part of Santa Monica’s vagrant problem stems from church groups that come from outside of the city that host public feedings in Palisades Park and on the front lawn of City Hall. The feedings draw hundreds of hungry homeless people to the downtown area every day.
The Bayside District Corp., which manages the downtown area and works with the city, has been dealing with complaints by business owners for the past several months, if not years. They claim transients are ruining the charm and economy of Santa Monica because of their antisocial and threatening behaviors. And it appears to be a quality of life issue for residents, who for at least three years, have said the high number of homeless people was their No. 1 concern in the city, officials said.
Dozens of vagrants sleep in doorways in front of businesses on the Third Street Promenade, as well as urinate and defecate in public. Many transients spend their days panhandling — sometimes aggressively — which scares people away from downtown, merchants, residents and visitors say.
The Bayside board formed a public safety subcommittee several months ago that began looking at ways to deal with the problems plaguing the downtown area. Committee members and the Bayside board recommended to city council in July to eliminate or at least restrict the public food giveaways and create a local ordinance that is tougher than the state’s current trespassing law.
Kathleen Rawson, executive director of Bayside, said she is satisfied with the proposed laws, although she personally will advocate that sleeping in doorways should be illegal 24 hours a day.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” she said. “We’re optimistic and we are going to be supportive of it and let it have a run and see if there are fewer people downtown.”
The state trespassing law only addresses public property and requires that people not stay in one place if they have been asked to leave. The result is that the homeless can move from one doorway to another along city streets, which makes it difficult for police to keep people from sleeping in doorways, officials have said.
City staff recognizes in the proposed ordinance that people who sleep in doorways use them as restrooms, which poses a significant public health hazard and employees of those businesses are forced to clean up urine and feces. The ordinance also addresses the fact that camping in doorways degrades the appearance of downtown and diminishes the quality of life for people who live and work there.
Officials also have recognized that there has been an increase in violent crime committed by homeless people against other homeless people.
The ordinance that would regulate food distribution, drafted by city staff, recognizes that between 20 and 30 groups distribute meals on a weekly basis to as many as 300 people each time. Some officials believe those activities not only monopolize certain areas of the parks, but also that public streets and sidewalks are not suitable locations because sanitary facilities are not readily available. The food lines also interfere with pedestrian and vehicle traffic, officials say.
The LA County Health Department has concluded that the public food distribution programs pose significant health risks because the facilities to store the food properly at required temperatures are non-existent. And because the food is out in the open, it makes it susceptible to bird and animal droppings.
The ordinance also would require any group that attracts more than 150 people get a special event permit from the city. Santa Monica’s community events law allows up to 150 people to gather without a permit.
But whether or not the new laws, if passed, will be enforced to the extent that they are effective remains to be seen. In the past, city officials and police have voiced their frustration that there aren’t enough resources to effectively enforce the high number of transients breaking trespassing laws and other ordinances.
“The police will have to prioritize to make it happen,” Rawson said. “If we don’t have the people in the downtown enforcing the laws, nothing will happen.”
“The police will have to prioritize to make it happen. If we don’t have the people in the downtown enforcing the laws, nothing will happen.” — — KATHLEEN RAWSON Executive director of Bayside
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 24, 2002. Read the original PDF.