> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Homeless center could sink politicians in next council race - URL: https://www.smdp.com/homeless-center-could-sink-politicians-in-next-council-race-2/ - Published: 2003-08-08T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T02:41:43.000Z - Author: Bill Bauer - Tags: Opinion, Ocean Park, #archive-import, Homeless, Homelessness Is there blood in the water? For years, the city’s “pro-homeless” position has gone forth, criticized but rarely seriously challenged. Citing a neighborhood — and a city — filled to the brim with low income housing projects and social services, the Pico Neighborhood Association is leading the charge against an expanded Ocean Park Community Center shelter and drop-in center proposed for 1751 Cloverfield Blvd. Nearly $7.4 million of housing funds designated for affordable and moderate income housing subsidies for families being diverted to a homeless shelter seems to be a particularly offensive violation of the public trust. This and another $1.8 million of Big Blue Bus funds, if approved, means the city will give a private, non-profit more than $9.1 million for providing shelter and services to transients — with no benefit to residents and lots of downside. Pico residents are concerned that this expanded operation will dump hundreds of mentally ill, dual diagnosed OPCC clients — many with criminal histories and anti-social tendencies — into their streets and parks. It’s an argument that can be applied to the entire city. Residents are fed up with the anti-social behavior, aggression, panhandling, public urination and defecation, dirt and crime this exceedingly large and difficult population brings to the community. Citizens are increasingly critical of a city council that squanders precious resources and promotes more services for non-residents while ignoring the dangers created for the rest of us. For more than two decades, the current political power, Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, has championed the homeless cause. They drive the city’s homeless “red carpet” philosophy. Year after year, “homelessness” is the top resident concern. So, the city’s public relations machine minimizes their impact and portrays transients as a harmless and benign presence. This fantasy fosters the creation and expansion of homeless services into a multi-million dollar industry and propagandistic PTA flyers and articles in the city’s Seascape newspaper, advising children to approach homeless strangers and ask them how their day is going. We already have more homeless services and shelter operations than any other city in Los Angeles County — except the City of Los Angeles. What do we get for our efforts? Labels such as “one of the meanest cities” and lawsuits for not doing enough. At three public meetings earlier this week, residents and businesses were virtually unanimous in their dislike for OPCC’s project and expressed dissatisfaction with even more homeless services. Both the normally sympathetic Disabilities Commission and Social Services Commission voted not to support OPCC’s project. The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce’s Governmental Affairs Committee recommended further study of the matter. By now, most thinking citizens even recognize that the success rate for getting people off the streets is alarmingly low and the combination of public feedings and services attracts more vagrants enabling them to live on the streets indefinitely. Objections have inflamed the “what we should do for transients and the cost to the community” controversy. But things have changed recently. The “homeless friendly” suburban editions of the Los Angeles Times have folded, replaced by the Santa Monica Daily Press and two online news services. For the first time in many years there are a number of centrists, such as myself, contributing regular news and opinion pieces to our respective media that educate the public and challenge the socialist agenda. The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce has banished their former pro-homeless leadership. The new Chamber has adopted a much more practical, probusiness politically active stance. More hardworking, taxpaying families resent seeing valuable resources spent on thousands of transients just here from Texas, Vermont or Utah, especially after the embarrassing and demeaning struggle to get the city council to support our schools. Our politicians’ non-resident priorities have upset of lot of — dare I say it? Voters? It looks like homeless will be the major campaign issue next year. Ten years ago, a group of homeowners led the charge to stop the giveaways and take back parks and streets. Their candidates for City Council, Asha Greenberg and Ruth Ebner swept into power. The challenge is to the SMRR opposition. Who will the Asha Greenbergs and Ruth Ebners be in 2004? The opportunity to topple a couple of long-standing city councilmen has never been better so whomever it is, better start planning now. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 8, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/080803.pdf?ref=smdp.com)