Homelessness viewed as a regional burden
(Editor’s note: This is the first article in a multi-part series this week on the Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee interviews with City Council candidates).
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE — The 11 candidates running for City Council might differ on a broad spectrum of issues, but they all agree on one thing — Santa Monica shouldn’t be the only city on the westside that bears the brunt of an increasing homeless population.
And although they all agree the problem needs to be tackled on a regional level, they don’t all agree on how to deal with it locally.
City Council candidates were interviewed last week by the Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee, which will make its endorsements on Tuesday. It’s the chamber’s hope to replace four council seats with its own picks to gain a majority on the council that has been long dominated by members of the powerful political group known as Santa Monicans For Renters’ Rights.
The interviews were dominated by the issue of homelessness and how city government can control the population here. Homelessness in Santa Monica has been regarded as one of the most important issues facing residents. As a result, it’s become a hot button election issue.
Candidates’ ideas on how to handle the estimated 1,200 homeless people in Santa Monica range from wanting to continue with the millions of dollars in funding for social services to creating a makeshift “tent city” where vagrants would be allowed to sleep in the 1550 beach parking lot north of the pier. During the day, the lot would be opened for parking.
That was an idea floated by Councilman Herb Katz, who is seeking reelection. The idea was in response to questions of how to deal with vagrants who sleep and defecate in downtown doorways, and whether more bathrooms should be made available downtown.
“We ought to dedicate an area for them to sleep there and have toilets,” he told the committee. “I think we should use one of our parking lots at the beach.”
He also suggested that there should be a mandatory law that requires vagrants who use city-funded social services to contribute to the community, in ways such as maintaining and cleaning public areas.
“It will cut the homeless population in half,” Katz said. “You pay them the absolute minimum wage. Many of them don’t want to work, and they’ll go away.”
Several first-time candidates said there is a significant portion of the homeless population that abuse the system. As a result, City Hall enables them, which leads to chronic homelessness and attracts more vagrants to Santa Monica.
“If I were going to offer services... I think that we as a city shouldn’t help free-loaders,” said Bill Bauer, who is running as part of a slate with Kathryn Morea and David Cole. Bauer agreed jobs should be attached to social services.
“If (a homeless person) can no longer get the free stuff, he’ll probably go somewhere else,” Bauer said. “The city’s policy is to go soft on the homeless.”
Cole, like the other candidates, believes there are certain segments of the homeless population that need serious help — such as the mentally ill, and the drug and alcohol addicted. The problem, however, is that City Hall’s social services don’t differentiate between those who really need help and those who are abusing the system. He suggested that City Hall get tough on those who are repeatedly violating the law and demonstrating anti-social behavior.
“If you repeatedly harass them and arrest them, they’ll get on a bus and go to a community that will be more accepting,” he said.
Cole and Bauer’s running mate, Morea, was asked if the present ordinances designed to keep vagrants out of downtown are working and if she agreed with City Hall’s social services programs.
“We have a lot of generous people and that’s great, but there is a segment of the population that take advantage,” she said, adding there should be more accountability attached to the programs and people should be limited on how much aid they get before they are cut off.
“There are ways to make the programs more accountable,” Morea added. “There should be no free lunch.”
Candidate Matt Dinolfo, who ran unsuccessfully in 2002, doesn’t think Katz’s tent city proposal is a rational solution. But portable toilets might alleviate the smell of urine and feces downtown, he said.
“They have to relieve themselves, it’s common decency,” Dinolfo said. “If you have to have something, portable bath- CANDIDATES, from page 6 rooms are easier to clean.”
Dinolfo also said a closer look at the cost effectiveness of the city’s social service program is necessary to analyze whether or not it’s getting a significant number of people off the street.
Incumbents Mayor Richard Bloom and Councilman Ken Genser defended City Hall’s continuum of care approach, and said the services are placing people into transitional and permanent housing.
“We are helping fewer people, but they are getting better care,” Genser said, adding in the early 1990s when he was on the City Council, more services were created for people who really need help — the mentally ill, abused and addicted.
Maria Loya, a first-time candidate, said homelessness is a national problem but offered little on how to deal with it locally.
“We need to continue to provide the services,” she said. “There needs to be structure for them to be effective.”
Some challengers agree with chamber officials that food programs in the parks and the abundance of social service programs attract more vagrants here. But the incumbents and a few other candidates say Santa Monica’s warm weather and its geographical location — on the edge of the West Coast and at the end of the bus line — are contributing factors.
“We don’t have borders in California,” said first-time candidate Patricia Hoffman. “We attract people not because of our social services, there are circumstances beyond our control.”
LAYING DOWN THE LAW All of the candidates were questioned on City Hall’s policies regarding a segment of the homeless population — the criminals and those who exude anti-social behavior. Those challenging the incumbents believe City Hall has fallen short on enforcing current laws and has created new ones that aren’t effective. However, the incumbents say it’s not a black-and-white issue — every time they create a new law designed to keep vagrants away, they are challenged by groups such as the ACLU that claim Constitutional rights are being trampled.
That’s the case with an ordinance that was passed in 2002. It was designed to limit groups that distribute food in area parks and on the Third Street Promenade. But the law was watered down and thrown into City Hall’s community events policy, which allows up to 150 people to gather in a public space. Because of Constitutional freedoms, no distinction can be made between a church group handing out food to the homeless and a school group having a picnic.
“It doesn’t have the effect we hoped it would have had,” Genser said. “We haven’t found a legal way to enforce that.”
Many candidates were asked whether or not they would examine other cities to see what laws they have successfully used to keep vagrants away. But again, some incumbents say it’s not a clear-cut issue.
“A lot of cities don’t do what we do because they are not sued like we are,” Genser said. “We have tried to use creative laws.”
The real issue is that existing laws aren’t being enforced, many candidates agree. But there are varying opinions on why they aren’t being enforced. Some blame the city staff — particularly the City Council, City Attorney Marcia Moutrie and City Manager Susan McCarthy — who set the policies and priorities. As a result, the police department’s hands are tied.
“The city needs to make a decision: Are they going to enforce the laws or not and then empower the police to do it?” Cole said.
Incumbents say they would like to be more aggressive, but there are challenges to catching people breaking laws that are aimed to curb anti-social behavior. City Councilman Mike Feinstein said it’s difficult in a city the size of Santa Monica to arrest everyone who urinates in public or panhandles.
“For a city so big, it’s not the first thing (police) are going to respond to,” he said. “You have to be there to see somebody (break the law).”
He added that he trusts Moutrie’s knowledge and legal advice on Constitutional rights. Genser agreed.
“It’s her job to advise us if we get into legal trouble,” he said. “She is very responsible for the City Council.”
Candidate Bobby Shriver, a descendant of the Kennedys, was asked by the committee whether or not his family legacy of helping the poor would hinder him from getting tough on City Hall’s policies and vagrant population.
“I don’t accept the distinction between caring and (being tough),” he said. “It’s a regional problem, and no person can say they have the solution to homelessness in Santa Monica.”
He said he would be relentless in getting surrounding cities to share the burden.
“We show up, and we never leave, we won’t give up,” Shriver said. “If people see you are serious, they will be serious.
“I have outworked everybody, that’s the story of me,” he added. Shriver also said local laws and programs are Band- Aids to a larger problem.
“I want a comprehensive solution. I want other cities involved and the state,” he said. “Pressure needs to be put on hospitals and policy makers.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 13, 2004. Read the original PDF.