By Daily Press staff
Santa Monica officials will appear on KCET’s “California Connected” from 8 to 9 p.m. tonight to discuss the city’s homeless population. The channel 6 piece, called “Santa Monica Homeless,” will feature Green Party member and councilman Mike Feinstein who voted with fellow Green and councilman Kevin McKeown against an ordinance last fall that puts restrictions on outdoor food programs serving the homeless.
The ordinance requires groups who feed the hungry in public parks to go through a rigorous government process to get a permit from the city and the Los Angeles County Health Department to provide meals in a public place.
Some people said by making it more difficult to serve food, it would reduce the number of charity groups who come to Santa Monica to help the homeless. City officials say the law is designed to protect the public from potential health problems associated with distributing food as well as to prevent one group from dominating a public space.
The ordinance passed by a vote of 5-2 last October. The City Council also passed a law forbidding people from sleeping in downtown doorways from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 15, 2003. Read the original PDF.