City Councilman: Put the homeless to work
By Daily Press staff
Every year, the Santa Monica City Council reviews an annual report that analyzes its social services programs geared to getting the homeless off the streets. This past year, City Hall contributed $1.8 million to the programs, but much more has been spent dealing with vagrants and their anti-social behaviors.
It has become such a serious issue for business owners and residents that they have listed it as their No. 1 concern for five years in a row, according to a city survey. And each year, hundreds of people march in front of the City Council and lodge their complaints. But City Council members don’t apologize for their compassion, nor do most people expect them to. However, many believe the programs put in place aren’t effectively addressing the problem. Rather, the programs designed to help those people down on their luck are attracting more homeless here, some argue.
Despite that the contentious issue is residents’ top concern living in Santa Monica, the public hearing on the annual report was placed last on the City Council’s Tuesday agenda. The public wasn’t expected to speak on the issue until at least 11 p.m. and the meeting was expected to run into the early morning hours today. As of presstime, the hearing hadn’t started.
City Hall spokeswoman Judy Rambeau said public hearings have for years been placed last on the agendas, which are set by the city manager’s office, the city clerk’s office and the mayor.
“It’s where public hearings go,” she said. “It’s organized by the types of things, there’s no mystery about it.”
The City Council has been criticized in the past for forcing residents to stay up late into the night and the early morning hours to comment on issues because the hearings were scheduled at the end of the meetings.
The SMDP took a random sampling of residents, tourists, merchants and homeless people on Tuesday to find out their position on the issue of homelessness in Santa Monica:
(MUG #29)
• Mc Farland, 64, homeless in L.A. for six months.
“It’s about the same everywhere. You can’t accommodate everybody. People just have to make up their own minds to get off the streets. I’m going to get off and make some money myself... I’m going to start spending my money differently. I’ve been messing up but now the winter is coming — in the summer you can make it work, but in the winter it’s time to make an adjustment.”
(MUG # 21)
38A,• Ramon Gastelum, 48, manager of Star Liquor on Main Street.
“I’ve been in a lot of fights. Physical fights, you know?... There’s too many (homeless people). I talk to the police every day and say, ‘What’s happening? There’s new faces every day.’ I’ve been working here 24 years and I always try to help people but now there’s too much... If you do those things to put them inside, what are they going to do in the daytime? They’re going to be on the streets.”
(MUG #15)
• Dudley Cowan, 83, 30-year resident of Ocean Park.
“It’s one of those things where if you help them, they all come to the area. If you don’t help them, you feel heartless... They’re nice people, basically, that ran into hard luck. I feel compassion for them but you can’t help all of them... If we advertise that we’re helping them, it’s going to bring in just a flock of homeless people so we have to do it sort of on the Q.T.”
(MUG #4)
• Ab Zagt, 47, visiting Santa Monica from Holland.
“It’s a worldwide problem. If you travel across any country, any big city, you see these guys... It goes with the territory. Usually when (officials) solve the problem in one place they move to another part of town. Maybe you would miss them if they were gone. Two nights ago they approached me and I didn’t feel very at ease. I said, ‘No, no, no,’ and they left... In other countries, they are often more aggressive.”
(MUG #24)
• John Chang, 50, owner of SK Philly Steak on Colorado Avenue.
“They sleep here most times when we close the doors. A sleeping party is OK, but sometimes they (defecate) and (urinate) on our store... It’s kind of hard because Santa Monica is not really working together with the business owner. Realistically, when the homeless cause a problem, we have to be able to flush it with a hose and that’s against the ordinances in Santa Monica... The solution might be stronger restrictions and to pick them up... It’s the freedom they want. And if the freedom is somewhat controlled or repressed then they might think twice.”
(MUG #11)
• Elaine Timothy, 48, homeless in Santa Monica for four years.
“(Social programs are) a temporary fix. They’re not going to fix the real issue. We’re supposed to have affordable housing. We need affordable housing... Everybody’s rich. There’s a whole middle class and we’ve been the backbone of America — now, we’re getting kicked to the curb... At least what we need is a campground or something. Away from the tourist eye, but something... It’d be nice to have at least Porta-Potties as well for us. It’s hard for the women.”
(MUG #7)
• John Miller, 54, visiting Santa Monica from Scotland.
“I think something’s got to be done because you’ve got a twin-pronged problem. First of all, you have to find a place for them to live... because they are human beings who have a use. Next, you have to get a kind of program where they’re actually giving back instead of just taking. That might help alleviate the problem... If this situation gets worse you could have a situation like ‘Clockwork Orange’ where you have gangs beating up homeless people. It’s happened in London and if it happened here it could be a real shame.”
(MUG #1)
• Heidi Plotkin, 48, of Malibu, former resident of the Sea Castle apartments in Santa Monica.
“It’s almost an impossibility when you’re at that point to get out. Most of them are not bad guys, it’s like a fraternity, they pool their resources... Maybe they choose to do what they’re doing and it’s not so bad, you know, living on the beach in Santa Monica. I used to open my window and look out... and there was a guy sleeping right there. I didn’t like that. It’s disgusting. It’s frightening.”
(FILE MUG)
• Santa Monica City Councilman Herb Katz, 72, resident of Sunset Park.
(Editor’s note: Katz was not available to comment for the Tuesday edition, which polled City Council members on their positions relating to the homeless population. He called after that issue went to press from his vacation in Philadelphia and gave these answers.)
What is your response to members of the public who complain the homeless situation has not been adequately addressed by the council?
5F4,“I don’t think it has. I think we need the social services and especially places for them to defecate. We need 24/7 restrooms. But on the other hand, we haven’t done enough to get them off of private property and get them back into the mainstream.”
What is City Hall doing right in how it deals with the homeless population?
“City Hall works hard, along with social services, on controlled feeding programs which I think is an asset. There is no reason why anybody needs to go hungry. There are places where they can get food and I think City Hall is trying the best they can, except the theory I have on (the homeless) contributing to our community.”
What could City Hall be doing better?
“Part of my personal agenda is, why haven’t we had homeless people contribute to our community by having them help out in community service, mandatory. Since the people who live here contribute through purchasing, through taxes and through commercial services, (the homeless) could help keep our city clean. They could help root out graffiti, they could do all kinds of things and then they become part of our community. Two things can occur from that in my opinion. One, they feel good about themselves. Two, we feel like they’re part of our community and we can then answer the public that we’re doing something. And then No. 3, those that don’t want to contribute, leave. You’ll cut down your homeless numbers real quick, and the others we’ll take in with open arms and we’ll know them.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 29, 2003. Read the original PDF.