Activists say city should provide better restrooms
For the first time in more than a decade, the city may be embarking on a major policy change on how it deals with its homeless population.
In a narrow 4-2 vote, the Santa Monica City Council Tuesday instructed its legal and administrative staffs to investigate ways to moderate the number and frequency of “public feedings” for the city’s homeless population by outside charity groups.
Officials believe many of the city’s homeless are lured to Santa Monica by the dozens of weekly public feedings held in public parks by church groups who come from surrounding communities. The excess homeless population drawn to the city then burdens the city’s social services.
However, Mayor Mike Feinstein and Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown voted against directing city staff members in any direction.
Feinstein said it would be unfair to make such a decision without having a copy of the city’s annual social services review, which is scheduled to be discussed at the Sept. 24 council meeting.
“We are here tonight without the benefits of a staff report,” Feinstein said. “We are giving a lot of direction tonight without having a complete picture of what’s out there.”
“We are here tonight without the benefits of a staff report. We are giving a lot of direction tonight without having a complete picture of what’s out there.” — — MIKE FEINSTEIN Santa Monica Mayor
Councilman Ken Genser disagreed and said the council was only giving direction and not taking any final action.
“I think we are guiding staff at what needs to be looked at and what needs to be addressed,” he said. “I think we are trying to find solutions to very complex problems.”
The city failed at making a similar change in a 1992 Public Safety Ordinance that was the result of a year-long task force that studied homeless issues. The ordinance called for directing all public feedings in one location and to make sure they take place indoors.
However, the public feedings aspect of the ordinance was successfully challenged in court by civil rights and homeless activists. When the city lost it was forced to strike the provisions of the ordinance pertaining to outside public feedings from the overall ordinance, which still stands and directs how the city responds to homeless issues.
Many of the advocates who prevailed in the past against the city’s attempts to curb public feedings vowed more challenges to any future ordinances.
The move to investigate curbing public feedings comes shortly on the heels of an uprising of downtown business owners and landlords who feel visitors do not return to shops in Santa Monica because of the hassles of dealing with panhandlers and vagrants.
Business owners also say they are tired of cleaning up after homeless who often sleep in their doorways and go to the bathroom on their properties.
Activists said homeless people are forced to sleep on private property because there’s not enough room in the city’s shelters and because city laws prevent them from sleeping in public parks.
They said if local business owners want homeless residents not to urinate and defecate on their properties, the city should provide adequate public rest-rooms. Four of the six public restrooms downtown have been closed because of safety concerns.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 15, 2002. Read the original PDF.