New legislation will address ‘dumping’ NY TOUR, from page 1
CITYWIDE — A delegation of officials from across Los Angeles County is heading to New York today to learn what that city is doing to fight homelessness effectively.
The delegation — including representatives from Santa Monica — is scheduled to attend more than 10 meetings and tours on Thursday and Friday to glean information on how New York is running its homeless programs. The delegation hopes to return to the Southland with more knowledge and inspiration to address the region’s down and out.
The trip was organized by California Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-22) and the Los Angeles Police Department. More than a dozen of the elected officials participating in the trip are having their travel expenses paid by the government bodies they represent. This will include cost of airfare, meals and two nights’ stay. The delegation will be staying at the New York Grand Hyatt at a discounted government rate.
Shannon Murphy, spokeswoman for Sen. Cedillo, said the delegation is visiting New York because it’s had great success in combating homelessness.
“Los Angeles has been referred to as the entertainment capital of the country, but now it’s also the homeless capital of the country,” Murphy said. “There are more than 83,000 homeless living in Los Angeles County’s streets, a significant number on Skid Row.
“Meanwhile, New York has an entirely different story...it’s on track to cut its homeless population by two-thirds in five years.”
Murphy said Cedillo plans to introduce legislation, called the Community Reunification Act, with several provisions aimed at combating homelessness downtown. The legislation calls for making the Skid Row area a “narcotic zone” in which there will be tougher penalties for drug dealing within 1,000 feet of treatment centers.
At the same time, Sen. Cedillo and the LAPD hope to determine the feasibility of putting into place a “community court,” similar to one that New York has, through which certain homeless individuals may be removed from the criminal justice system in exchange for their willingness to undergo treatment.
In addition, the legislation will seek to require that municipalities throughout the state do their fair share to address their homelessness. Murphy said this element of the legislation would aim to limit the homeless “dumping” that goes on in downtown Los Angeles, in which some cities relocate homeless people after they commit infractions within their city limits, she said.
LAPD Capt. Andrew Smith works downtown and deals with homeless issues on Skid Row. One of the top police priorities during the visit will be to gauge the effectiveness of New York’s community court, Smith said.
Smith says it may be possible to put such a court in place in downtown Los Angeles, with modifications to suit the region’s needs.
“We have an opportunity to have a designated court that offers homeless people alternatives to the knee-jerk reaction of putting them in jail for minor crimes they may have committed,” Smith said.
Smith said those traveling with the delegation are influential people in the Southland committed to fighting homelessness. He said he hopes their participation will further regional efforts to fight the growing problem more effectively.
Three representatives will be attending from Santa Monica. They include Edmund D. Edelman, City Hall’s new homeless czar; City Councilman Richard Bloom; and Kate Vernez, City Hall’s government relations officer.
City Councilman Bobby Shriver, another homeless advocate, is out of town this week and wasn’t available for comment. Officials said he wanted to participate with the delegation but couldn’t attend.
Edelman has indicated he hopes to review New York programs that may be suited for the Santa Monica area, including its supportive housing and job training.
“I’ll be looking at the humane ways New York has been able to get the homeless off the streets and provide them with a roof over their heads and jobs,” Edelman said.
He’ll also attempt to further understand the “community court” concept and how it may be suited for the LA and Santa Monica area, he said.
City Hall’s human services division, which helps coordinate homeless programs in Santa Monica, is currently working with the Santa Monica Police and service providers to use the criminal justice system more effectively. Options include allowing transients guilty of misdemeanors to choose to take part in a service program over jail time.
However, the impact of alternative sentencing — when the judge gives the choice of service over jail time — is limited since Los Angeles County Jail typically doesn’t hold persons sentenced for non-violent misdemeanors for more than 72 hours.
According to city staff, that means transients have little incentive to take part in programs because they will be back on the streets shortly after they’re arrested.
The city of Santa Monica is investigating the feasibility of paying for beds at the county jail, so that offenders facing longer jail time might find services to be a more attractive option than incarceration.
Bloom said the delegation’s trip will be a first for the Southland, an indication that leaders throughout the region are realizing the importance of working together to help the down and out.
“It’s an historical sign everyone is realizing we have a common objective and individual agendas are not going to provide long-term solutions to the problem,” Bloom said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 25, 2006. Read the original PDF.