Edelman vacates post as city homeless czar after helping to forge a regional approach
CITY HALL After working for two years as Santa Monica’s homeless czar, helping to establish a homeless community court and move two major food providers indoors to connect the down-and-out with services, Ed Edelman is saying good-bye to his colleagues in City Hall, but he will not bid farewell to the cause.
The former county supervisor who helped create the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) in 1993 said the seeds he has planted while working for Santa Monica have taken root, providing a strong foundation for the future, and he plans to continue working to find solutions to homelessness.
“I’ve had a great opportunity here to do some things that have helped Santa Monica and helped the region,” Edelman said during a phone interview Tuesday, a week after he received a commendation from the City Council for his efforts as the special representative on homeless initiatives.
“That said, there is still plenty of work that needs to be done,” Edelman added. “I would like to take some time to relax and see what develops. I certainly want to remain involved in the public domain as long as I have something I feel I can give because there is nothing more satisfying than working for the public.”
Edelman was hired in December 2005 as the city’s special representative on homeless initiatives, charged with the difficult task of bringing regional cohesiveness to the growing homeless problem, particularly on the Westside.
It was a position that Councilman Bobby Shriver and his fellow coun-cilmembers felt was necessary to get other communities to do their fair share. In addition to establishing the community court, Edelman, who earned $400,000 over the last two years, was responsible for reaching out to elected officials and service providers across the county and the nation, trying to find out what service delivery systems work best and which methods for solving homelessness are the most effective.
His work helped shape City Hall’s response to homelessness, with more of a focus put on the housing-first model that places the homeless in a permanent residence that can give them a solid foundation for drug and alcohol treatment, job training and education.
Edelman also served as a mentor for city staff and councilmembers, lending his expertise whenever possible.
“I think that we really all benefited from his leadership and his wisdom,” said Julie Rusk, human services director for City Hall.“He really invigorated us, helped us refocus our efforts. He exemplifies public service. He really did lead by example, showing us new ways to collaborate with people and he is such a problem solver.
“It was a pleasure to work with him,” Rusk added.
Edelman served as a county supervisor from 1974 to 1994.
In addition to LAHSA, Edelman also is known for establishing the Skid Row Mental Health Center in downtown Los Angeles, as well as creating the detox program at the Weingart Center and the first drug court in LA County.
He has also assisted U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Harry Pregerson in expanding services to homeless veterans at the West LA Veterans Administration facility.
In addition to his service as county supervisor, Edelman served on the LA City Council from 1965 to 1974 and held many intergovernmental posts, including chairing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board in 1994 and the Countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee, which he founded.
“People think things are changing for the better and I think so too,” Councilman Ken Genser told Edelman. “The community court and moving the meal programs indoors will make a huge difference for this community and really set an example for others in the region.”
Edelman brought along with him a pretty impressive rolodex. Having earned the respect of many elected officials through his years serving the public, Edelman could easily pick up the phone and contact the influential.
In an interview in May of last year, when the council opted to extend Edelman’s contract for another year, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said simply, “When Ed calls, you pick up the phone. That’s a tremendous asset to Santa Monica.”
Edelman was influential in the selection of a new executive director for LAHSA, a job that went to Santa Monica resident Rebecca Isaacs, who has been credited with making dramatic changes within the authority, helping to put it back on track.
Isaacs said Edelman has “been willing to do whatever it takes” to help LAHSA and others on the issue of homelessness. She has relied on him many times for advice over the last year.
“You just really get the sense that he is committed to ending homelessness,” said Isaacs, who would meet with Edelman regularly, sometimes for coffee at the Urth Caffé. “I think his presence really raised the profile of Santa Monica and showed the serious commitment the city has to ending homelessness and being a service to the region in terms of it being ahead of the curve.”
An example of his leadership was bringing together representatives from throughout the region for a conference at RAND Corp. on the role courts can play in ending homelessness.
John Maceri, executive director of OPCC, one of the city’s largest homeless services providers, credited Edelman with “getting the ball rolling” on several issues, particularly bringing the major food providers indoors as a way to connect the homeless with services and housing. Before, the providers would set up in local parks and on the front lawn of City Hall, which lead to complaints from some residents and concerns from city officials about public safety.
“I’m not in the position to say whether or not that could have happened without Ed,” Maceri said. “If someone else was doing it, it could have happened. But he certainly had the background and the experience to get it done much faster than I think many people expected.
“Having him here, I think, helped to broaden the discussion beyond Santa Monica,” Maceri said. “As we know, homelessness is not just a Santa Monica issue and it is important to continue to remind people of that and work together to find solutions.”
That is what Edelman hopes people realize once he leaves his post. He believes that most people are not aware of what is being done in other parts of the region and, therefore, have a negative or cynical reaction to pledges made. That may also be why some questioned his role and the council’s decision to pay him six figures.
Through his work, he believes he has raised awareness and would like to see that maintained if not enhanced.
“My job was to get more done regionally, to have more cooperation between the city and county of LA,” Edelman said. “I think, hopefully, that I’ve been fairly successful.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 19, 2007. Read the original PDF.