(This is the first installment of a two-part series. The second column will appear in Saturday’s paper.) The homeless problem in Santa Monica is coming to a head. There is growing public dissatisfaction with the army of vagrants and transients occupying our fair town, and, finally, the city council is nervously taking notice.
Mayor Mike Feinstein, a staunch defender of the homeless, pouted and whined at the Aug. 13 council meeting that Bayside District Corp.’s recommendations to curtail feedings, enhance trespass laws and increase law enforcement downtown made him “unhappy,” and it was “a subject that should have never been brought up.”
Feinstein admitted that he told Bayside he wouldn’t put the item on the agenda because “we have something coming up in September.” That “something” is the annual review of homeless services — a “report card” to the council from the community and cultural services department’s homeless services coordinator, Joel Schwartz, who will report on the state of homelessness and the services the city subsidized during the previous fiscal year.
This year’s report will probably state — as it has the last 10 years — that more and more people are requesting services, and that many services, such as affordable housing, are becoming increasingly hard to provide. So, it surely looks as if Feinstein is deliberately delaying debate on the issue and once again has dug in his heels.
It appears that the annual review is an excuse to further delay action on homeless problems. Controlling public food giveaways is something that Feinstein has been fighting tooth and nail since the day he was first elected to council six years ago.
“I have not seen one iota of work in connection with the things we are being asked to do in terms of limiting food for people who are hungry and unsociable behavior,” Feinstein said.
Yet, Feinstein (as do others on city council) refuses to acknowledge two obvious axioms. One: The numerous free public feedings attract transients to Santa Monica like a magnet, keeps them here and makes them dependent on more food hand-outs. Two: The more transients mean the more mentally unstable, drug addicted or alcoholic and antisocial individuals. This leads to more and more rude and unacceptable behavior.
Feinstein conveniently ignores the obvious despite that virtually everyone, from the chief of police and Joel Schwartz on down, have universally agreed that food lines in Palisades Park are the major reason why a high number of transients are downtown.
Both Feinstein and Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown harp on the unconstitutionality of curtailing free public food handouts. For years, the mayor has hidden behind this lamest of excuses, but hundreds of cities and municipalities have regulations concerning them that have withstood the constitutional test.
Some municipalities require “event” permits that regulate the size and frequency of large gatherings on public property. San Diego rigidly enforces health and safety codes, and requires a bond for those handling and distributing food, according to the municipal code. They also require identification for those who participate in services so they can be monitored.
Predicting that any law the city writes will be unconstitutional is either wishful thinking or shows a lack of confidence in the abilities of the city attorney. In either course, it’s unacceptable.
Feinstein and his cronies talk about a “working arrangement” with Beverly Hills, Culver City and West Hollywood, but the truth is they will absolutely not share our homeless burden having seen the nightmare we’ve brought on ourselves.
The truth is most cities do no permit unlimited public food giveaways, do not provide the wealth of homeless services and have very small or nonexistent transient populations. And of course they are not plagued by the crime, dirt, filth and antisocial behavior we live with.
Feinstein, McKeown and others on city council must bite the bullet and seek meaningful change in the way the city handles, funds and deals with homeless issues.
It’s time to stop the foolishness and coddling of malcontents, the squandering of money on programs that get minimal results and deal accordingly with those who are strictly out to sponge off of our generosity and compassion — while still providing care to those who are truly in need and deserving of it. (Bill Baurer has lived in Santa Monica for 25 years.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 23, 2002. Read the original PDF.